Jordan Bardella to Address Flemish Parliament Amid Protests
French far-right leader Jordan Bardella is set to speak at the Flemish Parliament in Brussels on Thursday evening, a visit that has galvanized both his European allies and a broad coalition of protest groups. The appearance, at the invitation of Vlaams Belang leader Tom Van Grieken, comes on the eve of a decisive vote on the EU Migration Pact in the Belgian federal parliament.
A Strategic Visit
Bardella, president of France’s National Rally (Rassemblement National) and a leading candidate for the 2027 French presidential election, arrived in Brussels on Thursday morning. He held a press conference with Van Grieken around 15:00 before his scheduled 20:00 speech at the Flemish Parliament.
According to VRT NWS, Van Grieken described the bond between their parties as 40 years old and characterized his personal relationship with Bardella as “almost a friendship, for a good 8 years.” The Vlaams Belang leader framed the visit as “a final tour de force to show that we stand shoulder to shoulder against that [EU Migration] pact.”
Van Grieken also looked ahead to the French presidential election, stating: “New times are coming, that’s the signal we want to give. The presidential elections next year in France are not only about the future of France, but will have a major impact on the future of all of Europe.”
The EU Migration Pact Context
The timing of Bardella’s visit is no coincidence. The Belgian federal parliament is expected to vote on the EU Migration Pact on June 12, after days of filibustering by Vlaams Belang. Twenty party members had taken turns speaking to delay proceedings, according to the research materials. The pact, a major piece of EU legislation on migration management, has been a central rallying issue for far-right parties across Europe.
Bardella’s European Tour
This Brussels stop is the latest in a series of high-profile visits across Europe. As La Libre Belgique reports, Bardella has already appeared in Porto with Portuguese far-right leader André Ventura and in Milan alongside Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Dutch PVV leader Geert Wilders at a rally called “Without Fear: Masters in Our Own Home in Europe.”
Fabrice Leggeri, an RN MEP, told AFP that these visits are “opportunities seized by our allies for Jordan Bardella to present his project for France and its impact on the European project.” Leggeri added that the contacts “allow us to forge political links with countries or governments with which we think we would like to work.”
Protests and Security
The visit has drawn sharp opposition. A coalition of 47 organizations — including trade unions, antifascist collectives, human rights groups, and feminist organizations — has called for a protest rally at Place Madou starting at 18:00. According to their statement published by Belga, the coalition said: “We oppose this visit and refuse that our political institutions serve as a winter palace for far-right personalities kept at a distance from Belgian political debate by the cordon sanitaire.”
The City of Brussels has announced a security deployment to protect the “neutral zone” around the Flemish Parliament, where demonstrations are restricted. Mayor Philippe Close’s office confirmed that police would “ensure the smooth running of the gathering so that associations can peacefully express their opposition” to Bardella’s visit.
This is not the first time Van Grieken has invited controversial far-right figures. Previous guests include Steve Bannon, the US far-right strategist, and Marine Le Pen, Bardella’s predecessor. Bardella’s own previous visit to Brussels in November 2024 resulted in 40 arrests during protests.
The Cordon Sanitaire Under Pressure
The visit tests Belgium’s long-standing “cordon sanitaire” — an agreement among democratic parties not to form coalitions with far-right parties. Flemish Parliament President Freya Van den Bossche has clarified that Bardella’s presence is part of an event organized by the Vlaams Belang parliamentary group, not by the institution itself. Nevertheless, the symbolic weight of a far-right leader addressing a parliamentary chamber is significant.
Political journalist Ivan De Vadder noted on VRT that both parties are “2 of the oldest radical-right parties in Europe, so that bond is very old and solid.” He pointed out that Vlaams Belang MEP Gerolf Annemans maintains the connection with the French party very well.
What to Watch For
As the evening unfolds, several questions remain: How large will the protest turnout be, and will there be clashes with police? Will Bardella’s visit have any measurable impact on the EU Migration Pact vote scheduled for Friday? And how will this affect Vlaams Belang’s standing in Belgian politics, particularly after recent polls showing the party losing ground?
What is clear is that Bardella’s European tour — and this Brussels visit in particular — represents a coordinated effort by far-right parties to present themselves as a cohesive force ahead of the 2027 French presidential election, with implications that extend well beyond France’s borders.