Belgian politician

Julien Lahaut (6 September 1884 – 18 August 1950) was a Belgian politician and communist activist. He became leader of the Communist Party of Belgium after the First World War. A dissident during the German occupation of 1940–44, he became a vocal advocate for the abolition of the Belgian monarchy during the post-war "Royal Question". His **ination in August 1950, at the height of the crisis, has often been attributed to Belgian royalists but remains unsolved.

Contents

• 1 Political background
• 2 Royal Question and **ination
• 3 In popular culture
• 4 See also
• 5 Notes
• 6 References
• 7 Sources
• 8 External links

Political background

During the First World War, Lahaut served in the Belgian army and was part of the Belgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, fighting on the Eastern Front along with Imperial Russian forces. After his return to Belgium, he joined the new Communist Party of Belgium. He soon became a Communist deputy and was later the party's chairman. He was particularly vocal in his republican sympathies.

During the German occupation of Belgium (1940–44), as the head of the Communist Party, Lahaut led the Strike of the 100,000 in May 1941 and was arrested. After failing to escape from captivity in the Citadel of Huy, he was deported to Mauthausen concentration camp. Although suffering considerable health effects, he was still alive when the camp was liberated by the Allies in 1945.

Royal Question and **ination

The aftermath of the Liberation of Belgium from German forces at the end of World War II saw a prolonged period of political crisis, known as the Royal Question, over whether King Leopold III could return to his position as monarch. The crisis came to a head in 1950, when Leopold decided to abdicate in favour of his son, Baudouin.

On 11 August 1950 Baudouin took the cons*utional oath as regent before the united Chambers of the Belgium Parliament. During the proceedings, one of the Communist deputies present shouted "Vive la République!" ("Long Live the Republic!"). Lahaut was reported to have been the deputy responsible, though in the confusion of the moment this remains unconfirmed. A week later, on 18 August 1950, Lahaut was **inated by two unknown gunmen outside his home in Seraing.

Coming at the end of the cons*utional crisis, Lahaut's death caused widespread outrage, especially in left-wing circles. Strikes were organized all over the country, while 300,000 people attended his funeral. The Communist Party newspaper Le Drapeau Rouge carried the headline "A monstrous crime! Our dear comrade Julien Lahaut, leader of the Communist party, was **inated last night by the Leo-Rexists".

Monument to Julien Lahaut

François Goossens, a Belgian royalist, was later identified as one of the murderers, although it is uncertain whether he fired the actual shots.

On 19 July 2012, the Belgian Senate agreed to consider a legal proposal to extend funding for a historical study on the **ination. On 17 August 2012, minister Paul Magnette announced a federal contribution of €320,000 to the study.

In popular culture

• In 1951 editorial cartoonist André Jacquemotte drew a biographical comic strip about Julien Lahaut's life, which ran in the magazine Jeunesse Belgique.

See also

• Royal Question

Notes

References

Sources

• Rudy Van Doorslaer & Etienne Verhoeyen, L'**inat de Julien Lahaut, EPO, Bruxelles, 1987.
• Gerard, Emmanuel (2016). "The Murder of Julien Lahaut (1950)and the Anti-Communist Campaign in Belgium". Dutch Crossing. 40 (1): 54–67. doi:10.1080/03096564.2016.1129193. S2CID:155868594.

External links

• Biography on the website of the Jules Destrée Ins*ute (in French)
• Call for a Parliamentary Commission on Julien Lahaut's **ination, 2000 (in French)
• Nollet débloque 150.000 euros pour investiguer sur l'**inat de Julien Lahaut at Le Vif
• Julien Lahaut, un **inat politique au temps de la guerre froide:: do*ents inédits at Paris-Match