Flanders (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Flemish nationalist Bob Maes, founder of the VMO and former Volksunie senator, has died at 100. He opposed the Egmont Pact, joined N-VA later, and influenced Flemish politics for decades.
As VRT News reported, Flemish nationalist Bob Maes has died at the age of 100. He passed away last week, but his family announced it now. He was also one of the founders of the Flemish Militant Order (VMO) in the early 1950s. This paramilitary organisation was established ostensibly to keep order at nationalist meetings and demonstrations, though it would far too often descend into clashes of violence.
The VMO also advocated amnesty for collaborators, a stance that brought a lot of controversy to post-war Belgium. Maes himself was a member of the collaborationist Vlaams Nationaal Verbond (VNV) while still a teenager during World War II.
After the liberation, he was imprisoned for a year for his conduct during the war. Even so, he adhered to the Flemish nationalist movement for over 30 years, maintaining its political and militant conduct.
What made Bob Maes a controversial figure in Flemish politics?
In 1971, Maes ended the VMO due to the growing violence linked to the group. In later years, Maes spoke out against the violent and extremist actions of the group. In a Terzake interview 10 years ago, he criticised the VMO’s militant past.
Beyond his work with the militia, Maes also served as a senator for the People’s Union (Volksunie). His life spanned a century of political and social change in Belgium. Bob Maes was a prominent figure in Flemish politics for decades. He became active in the Volksunie (VU) from its start in the 1950s and held important roles both locally and nationally.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he served as a senator in the Belgian Senate. Maes was known for his strong opposition to the Egmont Pact, a major plan to restructure Belgium and give more autonomy to the regions.
He also worked for many years as a municipal councillor in Zaventem, representing his community and helping shape local policies. Unlike some of his colleagues in the VU, Maes did not join the far-right Vlaams Blok when it was formed in the late 1970s.
After the Volksunie dissolved in 2001, Maes joined the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA). His family continued his political work, with his daughter Lieve Maes serving in the Senate and the Flemish Parliament for the N-VA. Maes remained a controversial figure even after leaving active politics.
About 10 years ago, Ben Wetsand and Theo Francken attended Maes’s 90th birthday party. Several parties, including the PS, CDH (now Les Engagés), PVDA, and SP.A (now Vooruit), demanded Francken resign as State Secretary because of Maes’s past political positions.
