About that BNP - Vlaams Belang denial

Now that Robert Spencer has come out against Vlaams Belang following a news report that the BNP participated in a summit in Antwerp with Vlaams Belang and other far-right European political parties, Gates of Vienna is now questioning the accuracy of the story from The Australian that said the BNP was part of the coalition.

Baron quotes from an email he received.

The VB, the Austrian FPÖ (which is no longer Haider’s party), the Alsatian regionalists and the Cologne city party. Only these four parties spoke at the press conference in Antwerp.

CaI aims to establish a network of local politicians from a municipal level. The cities involved in the network are cities with a strong counter-jihadist representation on the municipal level: Antwerp (VB), Vienna (FPÖ), Strasbourg (Alsace) and Cologne (Germany).

Cities with BNP or FN representation had not been invited and were not present because the group is pro-Israel as well as anti-Muslim.

I think that bloggers should be more careful in checking their sources when parroting what the MSM write. If not, they will soon lose all credibility — as is already the case with some blogs as far as I am concerned.

However, this stunning revelation isn't based on anything. It should be noted that this mystery emailer also says he was not at the event and is basing his research on ...

I just spent an hour googling “BNP Antwerp” and “BNP Antwerp Dewinter” trying to find other press reports than Australian ones about the “alliance” between VB and BNP. Found nothing.

Nothing at the BNP website either. You would imagine that the BNP would mention their “alliance” with the VB, wouldn’t you?

Since when are Australian MSM reports authoritative sources about Belgium? Australia!! No place can be further away from Antwerp.

....

However, I do not know how many people attended the meeting, which was a public presentation as well as an open press conference, and who they were. Bart Debie told me that there was an uninvited Brit, who might have told an Australian journalist that he was a BNP member.
I find it strange, however, that (as far as I know) the British press has not written anything about this. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?

Remember that the VB, with 25% of the Flemish electorate, is one of the most successful of the counterjihadist (and pro-Israeli) parties in Europe. It would be a major victory for the Jihadists if they can destroy the party. You are aware as well, I think, that Jihadists with Saudi money are currently buying stakes in the major MSM.

For all we know the Brit may have been an agent provocateur. Or he may have been a genuine BNP member who just came to have a look. Perhaps as a private person or perhaps on behalf of his party.

So in summary, someone who wasn't there is suggesting the BNP wasn't there based on googling, but someone told him there was a Brit there who was either an agent provocateur or a member of the BNP. Which do you think it is?

Meanwhile, the correction has not changed Spencer's opinion about Vlaams.

The BNP's not being part of this new group, however, does not contradict The Australian's report that the BNP was at the meeting. If they were there, it would be good for the VB to explain why the BNP was there, and why the BNP didn't join. It would also be good now for the Vlaams Belang to renounce and distinguish itself clearly from BNP-style racialism, if it indeed hopes to become a broad anti-jihad party. I hope it will do so.