Paul Hoornaert
| Paul Hoornaert | |
|---|---|
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|
| Born |
5 November 1888 Liège, Belgium |
| Died | 2 February 1944 (aged 55) Fort Breendonk, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgium |
| Education | Doctorate in law |
| Alma mater | University of Liège |
| Occupation | activist, lawyer |
| Movement | Légion Belge |
Paul Hoornaert (5 November 1888 – 2 February 1944) was a Belgian far right political activist. Although a pioneer of fascism in the country he was an opponent of German Nazism and, after joining the Belgian Resistance during the German occupation, died in Nazi custody.
Hoornaert was born in Liège to a middle class Catholic family and studied at the University of Liège, completing his doctorate in law in 1910. A lawyer by profession, Hoornaert was a veteran of the First World War where his combat record was highly distinguished.
A strong admirer of Benito Mussolini, but equally demonstrating a staunch hatred of Germany, Hoornaert was a member of the far right veterans' group National Legion, known by both its French name of the Légion Nationale and its Dutch name of the Nationaal Legioen, which was set up in 1922. Initially a minor group it grew rapidly from 1927 when Hoornaert became leader and converted it into a paramilitary militia. Under Hoornaert's leadership the 4000 strong group, who wore a blue-shirted uniform in common with other European fascist contemporaries, became associated with a militant Belgian nationalism, rejecting emphasis on both Flemish and Walloon identities in favour of a united Belgium. Other important ideological aspects included anti-communism, and opposition to liberalism and the parliamentary system. As Legion leader Hoornaert participated in the 1934 Montreux Fascist conference, campaigned in support of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and raised volunteers for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.
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