English
IJzerwake
Sign in to savethumb|IJzerwake 2017 The IJzerwake (Dutch, "Yser Wake") is an organisation that split off from the IJzerbedevaart, and unites the more radical Flemish nationalists. Each year in August, they organise a commemoration of the victims of the two World Wars, combined with a rally for Flemish independence and a more conservative government policy. Many participants are members of the political party Vlaams Belang, and some are members and sympathizers of the less radical Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie. Ultra-right organisations, such as Voorpost and NSV, also attend.
~2 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- History
- 7th Wake(August 24, 2008)
- Press coverage
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|IJzerwake 2017 The IJzerwake (Dutch, "Yser Wake") is an organisation that split off from the IJzerbedevaart, and unites the more radical Flemish nationalists. Each year in August, they organise a commemoration of the victims of the two World Wars, combined with a rally for Flemish independence and a more conservative government policy. Many participants are members of the political party Vlaams Belang, and some are members and sympathizers of the less radical Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie. Ultra-right organisations, such as Voorpost and NSV, also attend.
The annual event derives its name from the IJzer river, around which some of the fiercest and most deadly battles of the first World War were fought. It takes place in a field near Zuidschote, between the towns Diksmuide on the IJzer river, and Ypres. A monument in the field commemorates the Brothers Van Raemdonck, the Flemish soldiers who both fell there on March 26, 1917, killed by enemy fire and apparently having died in each other's arms.