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Article: Tongue lashings; Belgium's language wars.(Belgium's worsening rows over language)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 28, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Rows over who should speak in which tongue have got worse
THE tensions between Dutch- and French-speakers are usually a source of private grief to the Belgians. Now their never-ending row has gone international. The Council of Europe, a human-rights watchdog which groups together 44 European countries, has rebuked Belgium for violating minority rights. How come?
The problem has its roots in the sensitive area around Brussels where the French-speaking Walloons and the Dutch-speaking Flemings live side by side. The Flemings harbour a special grievance about the city, for it was once predominantly Flemish, and some Flemings still hope it may yet be the ...