Three years after the pogrom of 7 October 2023, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez spoke at the Diamond Center in Antwerp, at the invitation of the Hart voor Israël association and the Joods Informatie en Documentatiecentrum. Before 450 attendees, he paid tribute to the victims of the Hamas terrorist attack and issued a firm call to fight antisemitism. He received a standing ovation.
“Behind every name was a person.” From the outset, Georges-Louis Bouchez recalled the human face of the tragedy: lives brutally cut short, families torn apart, hostages wrenched from their loved ones. He also spoke directly to a young woman in the audience, Raz Shifer, a survivor of the attack on the Nova music festival. For the MR President, commemoration is a duty of remembrance, but also a promise: “to oppose antisemitism, to refuse to justify terror, and to defend the right of Jews to live freely, without fear”.
“We do not want a bystander state”
Antisemitism has not disappeared, he warned. It resurfaces on the streets, on social media, on some university campuses, and sometimes hides behind supposedly “anti-colonial” or “progressive” discourse. “But the poison remains the same.” In response, the state has a non-negotiable duty: to protect its Jewish citizens. The MR calls for stronger, lasting protection of synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres, more resources for police and intelligence services, and a firm criminal policy, including against online hatred. The liberal party also demands the immediate appointment of a federal coordinator to combat antisemitism. “This is not a bureaucratic formality. It is a political statement.”
Samidoun
Georges-Louis Bouchez also defended the bill put forward by Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, which would make it possible to ban radical organisations that incite hatred and threaten the democratic order. He specifically named Samidoun, which presents itself as a solidarity organisation but, in his view, glorifies terrorist movements. “A strong liberal state must be able to say that certain organisations cross a red line.” He also pointed to the threat posed by the mullahs' regime in Iran and reaffirmed Israel's right to exist and to defend itself.
“The fight against antisemitism is a moral test for our societies,” he concluded, to loud applause.
Georges-Louis Bouchez pays tribute to the victims of the 7 October pogrom: “If we do not protect our Jewish fellow citizens, we betray the very idea of freedom”
Three years after the pogrom of 7 October 2023, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez spoke at the Diamond Center in Antwerp. He was there at the invitation of the Hart voor Israël association and the Joods Informatie en Documentatiecentrum. Before 450 attendees, he paid tribute to the victims of the Hamas terrorist attack and called for a determined fight against antisemitism. He received a standing ovation.
“Behind every name was a person.” Bouchez immediately recalled the human face of the tragedy: lives brutally cut short, families torn apart, hostages wrenched from their loved ones. He also spoke directly to a young woman in the audience, Raz Shifer, a survivor of the terrorist attack on the Nova music festival. For the MR President, commemoration is a duty, but also a promise: “To oppose antisemitism, never justify terror, and defend the right of Jews to live freely and without fear.”
“We do not want a state that watches from the sidelines”
Antisemitism has not disappeared, Bouchez warned. It is resurfacing on our streets, on social media and at some university campuses, sometimes hiding behind supposedly “anti-colonial” or “progressive” activism. “But the poison is the same.” According to him, the state has a non-negotiable duty: to protect its Jewish citizens. The MR advocates stronger, lasting protection of synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres, more resources for police and intelligence services, and a firm criminal policy, including against hatred online. The liberal party also demands that a federal coordinator against antisemitism be appointed without further delay. “This is not a bureaucratic formality. It is a political statement.”
Samidoun
Bouchez also defended the bill put forward by Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, which would make it possible to ban radical organisations that incite hatred and threaten democracy. He specifically named Samidoun, which presents itself as a solidarity organisation but, in his view, glorifies terrorist movements. “A strong liberal state must be able to say that some organisations cross a red line.” He also pointed to the threat posed by the mullahs' regime in Iran and reaffirmed Israel's right to exist and to defend itself.
“The fight against antisemitism is a moral test for our society,” he concluded, as the room rose to its feet in loud applause.