Condemnation of Mali war and denunciation of Western neo-colonial plot

Explanation of vote by independent Belgian MP Laurent Louis,
Belgian Parliament
January 17, 2013

Thank you, Mr. President.
Dear Ministers, dear colleagues.

Belgium is indeed the land of surrealism. This morning we learned from the media that the Belgian army is incapable of subduing some extremist soldiers with radical Islamist beliefs embedded within its own ranks and who cannot be dismissed for lack of legal means. However, at the same time, we decide to help France in its war against “terror” by providing logistical support for its operation in Mali.

What wouldn’t we do to fight terrorism outside our borders? I just hope we took care not to send these much talked-about Belgian Islamist soldiers to take part in this anti-terrorist operation in Mali! I might be joking, but what is going on in the world today does not make me laugh at all. It doesn’t make me laugh because without any doubt the leaders of Western countries are taking their people for fools, with the help and support of the press, which today is nothing more than the propaganda organ of the powers that be.

Everywhere in the world, military operations and regime destabilization are becoming more and more frequent. Preventive war has become the rule. Nowadays in the name of democracy or the war on terrorism our states feel entitled to violate the sovereignty of independent countries and to overthrow legitimate leaders.

There was Iraq, Afghanistan, the wars of American lies, followed by Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and thanks to your decisions, our country was in the front line participating in crimes against humanity in order to overthrow, each time, progressive and moderate regimes and to replace them with Islamist regimes, whose first desire was to impose Sharia law - how ironic is that?

It is the same now in Syria where Belgium is shamefully funding the weapons of the Islamist rebels who are trying to overthrow Bashar Al Assad. In the midst of an economic crisis, as more and more Belgians can no longer house themselves, eat, keep warm or look after their health ... oh yes, I can already hear you calling me a filthy populist! ... our Foreign Minister decides to offer 9 million Euros to the Syrian rebels! Of course, they’ll try to make us believe that this money will be used for humanitarian purposes … one more lie!

As you can see, for months our country has actually been involved in installing Islamic regimes in North Africa and the Middle East. So, when they pretend to go to war in order to combat terrorism in Mali, well … it makes me laugh.

It’s false! Under the appearance of good actions, we only intervene to defend financial interests with a clearly neo-colonialist mindset.

It is totally absurd to go and help France in Mali for the sake of fighting Islamic terrorism when at the same time, in Syria, we support the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by Islamist rebels who want to impose Sharia law, as was done in Tunisia and in Libya.

The time has come to stop lying to us and treating people like imbeciles. The time has come to tell the truth. By arming the Islamist rebels, as they had armed Bin Laden—that friend of the Americans before they turned against him—western countries are seizing the opportunity to set up military bases in the "new countries", as they say, while favoring the interests of their national companies. Therefore, everything is strategic.

In Iraq, our American allies have got their hands on the country’s oil wealth. In Afghanistan, it was its opium and drugs – always useful when it comes to making lots of money fast. In Libya, in Tunisia, in Egypt or then again in Syria, the aim was and still is today to overthrow moderate regimes, to replace them by Islamist powers that invariably become troublesome very quickly and that we will shamelessly attack, pretending once again to be fighting terrorism or protecting Israel. Thus the next targets are already known. Within a few months I bet that our eyes will turn to Algeria and ultimately to Iran.

To go to war, to free people from an outside aggressor is noble. But to go to war to defend the interests of the USA … To go to war to defend the interests of big corporations such as AREVA … To go to war to get hold of the gold mines ... there is nothing noble in that and it makes our countries aggressors and thugs!

No one dares to speak, but I will not shut up! And if my battle makes me look like an enemy of this system which flaunts Human Rights in the name of financial, geo-strategic and neo-colonialist interests, so be it!

Flaunting and exposing this regime is a duty and it makes me proud. And honestly, I apologize for my low class vocabulary, but I say f*ck you to all the so-called do-gooders whether they are on the left, the centre or the right who are at the heart of this corrupt power and who will get a kick out of ridiculing me.

F*ck you all, the leaders who are playing with your bombs as kids do in a playground! F*ck you too! those who pretend to be democrats while you are nothing more than third-rate criminals.

I don’t have much respect either for the journalists who have the audacity to label opponents as mentally retarded while, basically, they know very well that these opponents are right.

Finally, I despise to the highest degree those who believe they are the masters of the world and who are dictating their laws because, me, I am on the side of the truth, the side of justice, the side of the innocent victims of unbridled looting.

It is for this reason that I have decided to firmly oppose this resolution that is pushing our country to side with France in this neocolonialist operation.

Since the beginning of the French operation, the lie has been organized.

We are told that France is only answering the call for help of a Malian president. We are almost forgetting that this president has no legitimacy and that he was put in place to ensure the transition following the coup of March 2012. Who supported this coup d’état? Who started it? Who is this "transition president" actually working for? So much for the first lie!

The French president, François Hollande dares to claim that he is waging this war to fight against jihadists who threaten (Yes, threaten! Just think!!) the French and European territory! What a vile lie! By endorsing the official discourse, while taking the opportunity to frighten the population, increase the terror alert level, implement the Plan Vigipirate, our leaders and media show they are capable of the most outrageous cheek!

How dare they use such an argument when France and Belgium have not hesitated to arm and support Jihadists in Libya and that these same countries continue to support these Jihadists in Syria. The pretext only serves to hide strategic and economic purposes.

Our countries no longer even worry about inconsistency because everything is being done to hide it. But the inconsistency nevertheless exists. It is not tomorrow that you’ll see a Malian citizen commit an act of terrorism in Europe. No, not unless we’ll suddenly create one so that we can justify this military operation. After all, haven’t we created September 11th to justify the invasions, arbitrary detension, torture and massacre of innocent populations? Thus, creating a Malian terrorist should be no big deal for our bloodthirsty leaders!

Another pretext used these recent months to justify military operations is the protection of Human Rights. Ah! This pretext is again used today to justify the war in Mali. But, of course! We must act, otherwise the evil Islamists will impose Sharia law in Mali, stone women and cut off the hands of thieves. Oh! The intention is truly noble. Noble and lifesaving for sure. But then why is it, good God, why is that our countries have contributed in Tunisia and Libya to the accession to power of Islamists who have decided to apply this Sharia Law in countries which were still not so long ago, "modern and progressive"? I invite you to ask the young Tunisians who have sparked the revolution in Tunisia, if they are happy with their current situation? This is all hypocrisy.

The purpose of this war in Mali is very clear. And since nobody will talk about it, I WILL.

The purpose is to fight against China and allow our American ally to maintain its presence in Africa and the Middle East. This is what drives these new-colonialist operations. And you will see, when the military operation is over, France will, of course, keep its military bases in Mali. These bases will be an advantage for the Americans as well. At the same time, as is usually the case, Western corporatios will get their hands on juicy contracts that will once again deprive the re-colonized countries of their wealth and raw materials.

So let’s be clear, the primary beneficiaries of this military operation will be the owners and shareholders of the French giant AREVA who has been trying for years to obtain a uranium mine in Falea, a town of 17,000 inhabitants located at 350 km from Bamako. And I don’t know why but my little finger tells me that it won’t take long before AREVA will eventually exploit that mine. I don’t know, it’s just an impression I have.

It is therefore out of the question that I will take part in this colonialist mining adventure, in this this modern-day colonialization. And for those who have any misgivings about my arguments, I sincerely invite them to learn about the wealth of Mali.

Mali is a major producer of gold, but recently it has been designated ... recently, eh? … as being a country that offers a world class environment ... world class! ... for the exploitation of uranium. How strange! One step closer to a war against Iran, it is obvious.

For all these reasons and in order to not fall into the trap of lies they have set for us, I’ve decided not to give my support to this intervention in Mali, and will therefore vote against it.

And in doing so, I’m being consistent since I never supported in the past our criminal interventions in Libya or in Syria, thereby standing out as the only MP in this country to defend the principle of non-interference and the fight against obscure interests.

I really think it is about time to put an end to our participation in the UN or NATO and get out of the EU if Europe instead of providing peace becomes an agent of aggression and destabilization of sovereign countries in the hands of financial rather than human interests.

Finally, I can only urge our government to remind President Hollande of the obligations resulting from the Geneva Conventions regarding the respect of all prisoners of war. Indeed, I was shocked to hear on television from the mouth of the French President that his intention was to “destroy” – I say “destroy” – Islamist terrorists. So, I wouldn’t want the qualification used to designate the opponents to the Malian regime – it is always convenient today to talk about Islamic terrorists – to be used to circumvent the obligations of any democratic state in terms of respecting the rights of prisoners of war. We expect such respect from the Fatherland of Human Rights.

In conclusion, let me emphasize how lightly our decisions to go to war are made.

First, the government acts without any consent from the Parliament. It appears as though it has the right to do so. It ships equipment, men to Mali. The Parliament subsequently reacts and when it finally does, as today, this institution is normally composed of only 1/3 of its members. And much less when it comes to the French-speaking MPs. It is therefore a guilty lightness, which does not really surprise me
coming from a Parliament of puppies, submitted to the dictates of political parties.

Thank you.