29-year-old far-right Vlaams Belang MP Dries Van Langenhove will resign his mandate as a deputy in the House of Representatives, he announced on Saturday during a press event at the Vlaams Belang headquarters. Van Langenhove was known for his inflammatory views and youth activism. He is also the leader of the Flemish nationalist youth organisation Schild & Vrienden. “I have always felt more like an activist than a politician,” he told VRT News. The young politician had been elected on a Vlaams Belang electoral list in the province of Flemish Brabant but was not, technically, a member of the party. He did, however, sit with the parliamentary group in the chamber. The elected official states that he wishes to continue his activism, especially through his own media channels. He believes that his brand of far-right nationalism will have more impact online than it would in parliament, stating that he was “systematically silenced to death” by the media. On his social media channels, notably his Telegram channel, Van Langenhove peddles far-right conspiracy theories such as QAnon, as well as extreme rhetoric, a recent De Standaard investigation concluded.
via brussels time: Far-right MP Dries Van Langenhove to step down