“Antwerpistan”: What Does It Mean, And Why Is It Problematic?
Belgian political party Vlaams Belang launched a new campaign in which they refer to the city of Antwerp as ‘Antwerpistan.’ The term takes inspiration from the term ‘Londonistan’, which has been used in right-wing circles for years to signal a supposed “Muslim invasion” in the city and brings with its dangerous connotations.
The Vlaams Belang (a Flemish nationalist, right-wing populist political party) faction of Antwerp has launched a campaign with clear anti-Muslim and xenophobic themes. The campaign is titled “Proud to be a Flemish from Antwerp” and it leads with the statement: “Antwerp is a city of steal and cathedrals. Not of Mosques and minarets.” The campaign is based on the belief that Antwerp is suffering from a replacement of its people, as more and more immigrants are replacing the natives in the city. In a video shared on Twitter by Filip Dewinter, various Vlaams Belang politicians are shown saying inflammatory remarks, stating that Antwerp is not a city of “headscarves, halal and couscous” and referring to the city as “Antwerpistan.”
To mark the launch of the campaign, Vlaams Belang hosted a press conference streamed live on Facebook. The conference first focused on the demographic change in Antwerp. In the last two decades, the party officals argued, many natives have left, and more immigrants have come to the city. Sam van Rooy referred to this as the ‘replacement’ of the people of Antwerp. However, the key point of the campaign is the supposed ‘Islamification’ of Antwerp. During the press conference, van Rooy stated: "Our estimates show that Muslims account for 20 to 25% of the city's population today, and this number is expected to rise to 35-40% by 2050." He continued: "The city is becoming more full, poorer, and more Islamic. Three negative points for the city - this is something we can agree on.”
Let’s for a moment look at the term the Vlaams Belang use to refer to Antwerp: ‘Antwerpistan’. The inspiration for this was likely the popularity of the term ‘Londonistan’, which combines the name of the city with the Persian -stan place of; modelled on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Julia Rampen for The Spectator explains where the term originated: “According to the spy known as Omar Nasiri, Britain’s capital was nicknamed “Londonistan” in the Nineties, by French intelligence officials who noticed how radicals used the city as a base. However, it was the publication of the book ‘Londonistan’ by Melanie Phillips in 2006 that brought the nickname to a wider audience. She argued that policies of multiculturalism and human rights empowered radical Islamists.” The term ‘Londonistan’ is still used in right-wing circles and often in relation to London mayor Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim. The core meaning of the term is clear: Islam is taking over these cities. Referring to ‘Antwerpistan’ has clear negative connotations and the Vlaams Belang politicians do not hide the fact that they feel that Muslims in the city are problem.
It is true that Antwerp is a diverse city. It is home to one of the largest communities of orthodox Jews in the world outside Israel and has seen its districts change due to migration flows throughout history. The opinion that diversity is harmful for a city’s prosperity has been voiced oftentimes. The issue is that when the Vlaams Belang advertises it, hatred almost always comes along. For instance, Vlaams Belang repeatedly makes clear that they have an issue with Muslim migrants – the fact that more people of the Islamic faith have come to Antwerp is, in their words, a “negative point.” The political party has been very vocal in their anti-Muslim stance over the years, which we have covered several times within the Get The Trolls Out project. For a political party to be so openly anti-Muslim is dangerous, as it normalises such hatred.
