Republican Circle

The Republican Circle[2] or CRK (Dutch: Republikeinse Kring, French: Cercle républicain, German: Republikanischer Kreis) is a Belgian trilingual republican association that aims to promote republican values and various republican forms of government whilst respecting cultural specificities.[3]

Cercle républicain
Republikeinse Kring
Republikanischer Kreis
Formation1 January 2000
TypeAssociation without lucrative purpose
PurposeAdvocacy of republicanism
Region served
Belgium
Chair
Philipp Bekaert[1]
AffiliationsAlliance of European Republican Movements

History

The association was founded on 1 January 2000, and organises debates, spreads information and provides speakers to conferences. The cause for its foundation was the wedding of Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde in 1999.[4] Some prominent members are Claude Boumal, Nadia Geerts[5] (chair 2000–2010) and Philipp Bekaert (chair in 2013),[1] all three of them connected to the VUB-ULB. In 2011, the CRK had 'a few hundred members'.[4] There are both Francophone and Dutch-speaking members, and according to Bekaert, with the exception of Vlaams Belang, almost all political parties are represented. The association is mainly trying to argue that the monarchy is a backward and undemocratic institute. It does not take a position on a potential partition of Belgium.[1] Bekaert himself opined that Belgium is not 'too complex' to require a king for stability between the communities, because Switzerland, despite having its own linguistic conflicts, has not had any need for a monarch in its long republican tradition either.[6]

In August 2000, CRK members called for reopening the discussion about the monarchy. Amongst other things they recalled the Royal Question and the assassination of Julien Lahaut, who allegedly yelled "Vive la république!" ("Long live the republic!") during the inauguration of Baudouin on 11 August 1950, which was repeated by Jean-Pierre Van Rossem in 1993. They emphasised that 'the monarchy is not more legitimate today than yesterday'.[7]

On the occasion of the European Union's expansion on 1 May 2004, thirteen republican organisations from all the EU's monarchies petitioned the European Parliament to abolish the monarchy in the entire European Union. The petition was an initiative of the Republican Circle (CRK).[8][9]

From 2003 until 2007, the association annually awarded the 'Prize for Vocal Republican Citizenship' and the 'Prize for Submissiveness to His Majesty'.[10][11]

Vocal Republican Citizen His Majesty's Subject

The CRK conducted an inquiry on how expensive a republic would be in comparison to a monarchy, and found that Belgian citizens pay three times the amount for their king then Germans do for President and a hundred times the amount the Swiss pay for their President. The CRK concluded that it's a 'myth' that republics are more expensive than monarchies, especially in the case of a parliamentary republic in which the president is appointed by Parliament (like in Germany, Austria, Israel and Italy) without expensive direct elections.[1]

Since 2010, the CRK is member of the Alliance of European Republican Movements (AERM). In March 2013, the CRK hosted the AERM convention in Brussels.[1]

References
  1. "De Ochtend - Philipp Bekaert 220713". De Ochtend. Radio 1. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  2. Debabani Majumdar (29 April 2011). "Republicans label royal wedding 'PR stunt'". BBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. "Relevante websites". Republikeinen.nl. New Republican Society. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  4. "'Koekendozenromantiek, bah!' Alleen republikein Philipp Bekaert (42) moet er niet van weten". Het Nieuwsblad. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  5. (in French) "Une nouvelle équipe au CRK". La Libre Belgique. 25 January 2005. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  6. Peter De Groote (20 July 2013). ""Zijn wij dommer dan de Zwitsers?"". De Tijd. Overlegcentrum van Vlaamse Verenigingen. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  7. (in French) "Il faut rouvrir le débat sur la monarchie". Le Soir. 23 August 2000. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  8. Austria Press Agency (4 June 2004). "Anti-Royalisten fordern Abschaffung von Europas Monarchien". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  9. "Abolition de la monarchie en Europe". European Platform for the Republic. LaPetition.be. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  10. "Prijs voor mondig republikeins burgerschap en prijs voor onderdanigheid aan zijne majesteit". CRK.be (archived). Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  11. Prijs voor de mondige burger van de Republiek & voor de onderdaan zijner majesteit
  12. Belga (20 November 2006). "Moureaux krijgt Prijs onderdanigheid aan zijne majesteit". Het Belang van Limburg. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  13. Belga (11 November 2007). "Prijs voor 'onderdanigheid aan zijne majesteit' naar Armand De Decker". Het Laatste Nieuws. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
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