Gerolf Annemans is a Belgian politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014. He belongs to Belgium’s Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang (VB). He also served as the leader of the Vlaams Belang from 2012 to 2014. The Flemish nationalist party in the past remained critical of inflicting sanctions against Russia and was blamed for promoting links to Putin’s government.
Based on his political activities, Gerolf Annemans also seems to have leaned towards Russia. In 2017, MEP Gerolf Annemans voted against the EU Parliament resolution that approved Ukraine’s visa waiver, granting Ukraine visa-free travel. Additionally, he did not condemn Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Belgian journalist Jan Antonissen who has authored a series of articles describing the relations between Russia and the Vlaams Belang mentioned MEP Anneman’s tilt towards Russia. He said Vlaams Belang, headed by Filip Dewinter, “gives full throttle to Russia.” Belgian journalists highlighted that when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Vlaams Belang “turned their carts around — or at least most of them did. I didn’t notice anything in Russia that glanced like fraud. Where were we? Oh yes, in 2015, when MEP Gerolf Annemans in the EU Parliament chose not to denounce the annexation of Crimea. It gives wings to the Russian group within Vlaams Belang.”
Gerolf Annemans often quotes pro-Russian professor Tom Sauer from the University of Antwerp in his addresses. Professor Tom Sauer frequently issues in the media and speaks at various conferences. The “professor” considers the situations encircling Crimea and Kososv to be identical, blames the West for Russia’s war against Ukraine, considers the Revolution of Dignity as a coup, and employs other Kremlin narratives.
In 2022, he also abstained from voting on the European Parliament resolution of 1 March 2022 on the Russian aggression against Ukraine. In his voting explanation, he said that the brutal invasion of a neighbouring land by the Russian Federation must be criticised. However, he also criticized the West by stating,
“There is no excuse for the activities of the EU and NATO in the area in recent years. It is inappropriate that this resolution, while referring to the ill-fated Association Agreement, now produces an absolute commitment to EU membership and growth of power, which at this point is a political action that will probably irrevocably damage any attempt to de-escalate the conflict.”
