Conner Rousseau’s speech in his home city contained not only a series of socialist ‘evergreens’ such as the struggle for solidarity or the defense of the index, but also a striking frontal attack on Vlaams Belang. That attack is no accident. Vlaams Belang has been organizing its own May 1 celebrations for years and Vlaams Belang chairman Tom Van Grieken will give a speech on Sunday afternoon in Sint-Niklaas.
“May 1st, friends. That’s our holiday. That’s our battle day,” said Rousseau. “Extremes try to hijack our day. Even today, here, in this city. Extremes that have never done anything for you. Not for your purchasing power. Not for your health. And not for you. We’re not going to let that happen. May 1 remains ours.”
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Vlaams Belang pretends to defend the interests of working people, but in fact they stand up for the interests of the elite.
A little later, Rousseau praises what the federal government, including Federal Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke, has done during the corona pandemic: “It is thanks to our social welfare state, thanks to our social security, thanks to our strong health care system that we have beaten our corona virus. ” Another swipe at the extreme right follows, this time with the explicit mention of Vlaams Belang: “We as socialists can be proud of that. But that will not remain the case if we do not stop Vlaams Belang. Because make no mistake friends, Vlaams Belang is a wolf in sheepskin. They pretend to defend the working man, but actually friends, they stand up for the interests of the elite. Isn’t it perhaps true, Mr. Van Grieken?”
Later in his speech, Rousseau focuses on purchasing power, a topic that is currently on the minds of many. Rousseau emphasizes that Vooruit wants to keep the automatic indexation of wages and also argues for “a purchasing power contribution to corporate profits”. “Because even in these times of crisis there are people and companies who make a lot. And that is good. I am for profits, but figures from the National Bank show that these profit margins are excessive for some.”