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Belgium: Spying on peace activists

01 March 1997

The Belgian Ministry of Defence has admitted that its military intelligence section ADIV (Algemene Dienst Inlichtingen en Veiligheid, General Intelligence and Security Service) regularly spies on peace activists. This was revealed in a written answer to Agalev-Ecolo MP Hugo van Dienderen last December.

Van Dienderen wrote to the ministry in November 1996 claiming that ADIV, whose official mandate is to collect information about activities that constitute a threat to the integrity of national territory, national defence plans and to the execution of national military operations, was devoting an inordinate amount of time to the work of the "Forum voor Vredesactie" (Forum for Peace Action). "Forum Voor Vredesactie", who are linked to "International War Resisters" is a non-violent organisation, all of whose activities are well publicised before they take place. Van Dienderen points out that "it is hard to argue that such an organisation needs to be scrutinised".

In its reply the ministry admits that it "analyses the publications of the "Forum voor Vredesactie"". It also admits that, if any activities are planned by the Forum, these are followed by ADIV. The ministry states that anyone, whether they are a member of a pacifist organisation or not, who has "been noted for their opposition to the military infrastructure" will have ADIV files opened on them. The ministry also states that "all peace organisations who devote their attention to the army will thereby attract the attention of ADIV".

The ministry does however reassure any paranoid peace activist that the national defence plan, which specifically targets all black people living in Belgium as a threat to national security (see Statewatch, vol 6 no 4), has "no specific plans in the immediate future with regards to peace movements".

Parliamentary Answer House of Representatives, 4.12.96.