Jean-François Thiriart

Jean-François Thiriart (22 March 1922, Brussels – 23 November 1992) was a Belgian politician associated with neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups. In the 1960s he rejected his Nazi past and promoted pan-European ideas founding Jeune Europe.

Initially a Socialist, Thiriart eventually adopted a form of non-Marxist, National Socialism.

Coming from a left-wing family, Thiriart was a member of some Socialist and antifascist movements. He switched to far-right politics and joined the extremist Fichte Bund (a National Bolshevist association) and was associated with Les Amis du grand Reich Allemand in 1940, a group composed by former far-left activists which supported collaborationism with the Nazis. Thiriart himself served in the Waffen SS. He served time in prison for his collaboration, and upon his release set up business as an optometrist.

Thiriart returned to the political scene in the 1960s, after Belgium gave up its claim to Congo. Due to his opposition to this development he became associated with the Mouvement d’Action Civique (MAC), although he also became interested in a more international vision. Establishing links with French groups similarly opposed to decolonization, he eventually became a European Nationalist, convinced of the need for a united Europe. As a result, he formed Jeune Europe as a movement to reach out across Europe, soon founding branches in Italy, Spain and France. Domestically he continued to co-operate with MAC, which enjoyed close ties to Jeune Europe.

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