Republican Circle

The association was founded on 1 January 2000, and organises debates, spreads information and provides speakers to conferences. The cause for its foundation was the wedding of Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde in 1999.{{Cite news |url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/go339h06f |title='Koekendozenromantiek, bah!' Alleen republikein Philipp Bekaert (42) moet er niet van weten |work=Het Nieuwsblad |date=29 April 2011 |accessdate=15 October 2015}} Some prominent members are Claude Boumal, Nadia Geerts{{in lang|fr}} {{Cite news |url=http://www.lalibre.be/actu/belgique/une-nouvelle-equipe-au-crk-51b887e6e4b0de6db9ab7aa4 |title=Une nouvelle équipe au CRK |work=La Libre Belgique |date=25 January 2005 |accessdate=15 October 2015}} (chair 2000–2010) and Philipp Bekaert (chair in 2013),{{Cite web |url=http://www.radio1.be/node/318008 |title=De Ochtend - Philipp Bekaert 220713 |work=De Ochtend |publisher=Radio 1 |date=22 July 2013 |accessdate=15 October 2015}} all three of them connected to the VUB-ULB. In 2011, the CRK had 'a few hundred members'. There are both Francophone and Dutch-speaking members, and according to Bekaert, with the exception of Vlaams Belang, almost all political parties are represented. The association is mainly trying to argue that the monarchy is a backward and undemocratic institute. It does not take a position on a potential partition of Belgium. Bekaert himself opined that Belgium is not 'too complex' to require a king for stability between the communities, because Switzerland, despite having its own linguistic conflicts, has not had any need for a monarch in its long republican tradition either.{{Cite news |url=http://ovv.be/page.php?ID=5299 |title="Zijn wij dommer dan de Zwitsers?" |author=Peter De Groote |work=De Tijd |publisher=Overlegcentrum van Vlaamse Verenigingen |date=20 July 2013 |accessdate=15 October 2015}}

In August 2000, CRK members called for reopening the discussion about the monarchy. Amongst other things they recalled the Royal Question and the assassination of Julien Lahaut, leader of the Communist Party of Belgium, who allegedly yelled "Vive la république!" ("Long live the republic!") during the inauguration of Baudouin on 11 August 1950, which was repeated by Jean-Pierre Van Rossem in 1993. They emphasised that 'the monarchy is not more legitimate today than yesterday'.{{in lang|fr}} {{Cite news |url=http://archives.lesoir.be/il-faut-rouvrir-le-debat-sur-la-monarchie_t-20000823-Z0JL3W.html |title=Il faut rouvrir le débat sur la monarchie |work=Le Soir |date=23 August 2000 |accessdate=15 October 2015}}

On the occasion of the European Union's expansion on 1 May 2004, thirteen republican organisations from all the EU's monarchies petitioned the European Parliament to abolish the monarchy in the entire European Union. The petition was an initiative of the Republican Circle (CRK).{{Cite news |url=http://derstandard.at/1665183/Anti-Royalisten-fordern-Abschaffung-von-Europas-Monarchien |title=Anti-Royalisten fordern Abschaffung von Europas Monarchien |author=Austria Press Agency |author-link=Austria Press Agency |work=Der Standard |date=4 June 2004 |accessdate=15 October 2015 |language=de}}{{Cite web |url=https://lapetition.be/en-ligne/Abolition-de-la-monarchie-en-Europe-1973.html |title=Abolition de la monarchie en Europe |work=European Platform for the Republic |publisher=LaPetition.be |date=11 March 2008 |accessdate=16 October 2015}}

From 2003 until 2007, the association annually awarded the 'Prize for Vocal Republican Citizenship' and the 'Prize for Submissiveness to His Majesty'.{{Cite web|url=http://www.crk.be/?-Nobelprijs-van-de-Republiek- |title=Prijs voor mondig republikeins burgerschap en prijs voor onderdanigheid aan zijne majesteit |work=CRK.be (archived) |accessdate=15 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323083014/http://www.crk.be/?-Nobelprijs-van-de-Republiek- |archivedate=March 23, 2012 }}[http://archive-be.com/be/c/crk.be/2013-01-14_1143310_22/Prijs_voor_de_mondige_burger_van_de_Republiek_amp_voor_de_onderdaan_zijner_majesteit_2003_CRK/ Prijs voor de mondige burger van de Republiek & voor de onderdaan zijner majesteit]

The CRK conducted an inquiry on how expensive a republic would be in comparison to a monarchy, and found that Belgian citizens pay three times the amount for their king than Germans do for President and a hundred times the amount the Swiss pay for their President. The CRK concluded that it's a 'myth' that republics are more expensive than monarchies, especially in the case of a parliamentary republic in which the president is appointed by Parliament (like in Germany, Israel and Italy) without expensive direct elections.

Since 2010, the CRK is member of the Alliance of European Republican Movements (AERM). In March 2013, the CRK hosted the AERM convention in Brussels.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141004140318/http://crk.be/?-Republikeinse-Kring- Official website (archived)]
• [https://twitter.com/crk_republix Twitter]
• [https://www.facebook.com/crk.be Facebook]

Category:2000 establishments in Belgium

Category:Non-profit organisations based in Belgium

Category:Republicanism in Belgium