Why Is the Belgian Army in Brussels? | Defense Minister EXPLAINS

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:23:41 +0000

Visegrad24 founder Stefan Tompson meets with the Belgian Minister of Defence Theo Francken to discuss his decision to deploy soldiers on the streets of Belgium, the War in the Persian Gulf and Belgium's recent decision to board and seize Russian shadow fleet vessels off the Belgian coast.Theo Francken has served as Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade since February 2025. He's a member of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a conservative Flemish nationalist party and served as Minister of Migration in the first Charles Michel cabinet in 2014.He became prominent for his zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration in the midst of the European migrant crisis of 2015. Francken and the N-VA party opposed Belgium's support for the UN's Global Compact for Migration, leading them to exit the coalition government in December 2018 and thereby trigger its collapse.Since the 2024 Belgian federal election, he also serves as the N-VA's faction leader in parliament. During a meeting with fellow European Migration Ministers in the European Council of Ministers of May 2018, Francken called the reform of the Dublin-regulation “dead" and instead put forward the idea that Europe needs an ‘Australian style’ border defence, meaning Europe needs to strike migration deals with third countries on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, where illegal immigrants intercepted by European ships can be safely put ashore and sheltered in a humane fashion, whereby asylum migration to EU countries would be limited to legal humanitarian migration by means of national humanitarian visa. However, Theo Francken was immediately rebuffed by EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, who quickly issued a statement that Europe would never follow the Australian model of border protection. Theo Francken remained a very vocal advocate of zero tolerance to illegal immigration, calling Europe's migration model ‘inhumane’, and further elaborated these ideas in a bestselling book published in October 2018, bearing the title ‘Continent without borders’ (Continent zonder Grens).In September 2019, he was appointed by the Chamber as leader of the Belgian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.As an opposition member of parliament, Francken has expressed support for Israel and in 2022 joined in with MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez in speaking out in parliament against a demonstration in Brussels by supporters of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas by stating “Are we in Gaza? In Beirut? In Cairo? No, in Brussels. A demonstration of Hamas hatred overflowing with anti-Semitism, hatred of Jews, glorification of terrorism and calls for violence in the streets of our capital" and added "it is disturbing to see what the Vivaldi (the Belgian coalition government) allows in our streets."After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Francken organized humanitarian aid convoys to Ukraine and personally drove there to drop off the goods. He has condemned Russian aggression and is a firm supporter of Ukraine. He views its survival as a strong state as paramount for European security.00:00 - Trailer 01:18 - Meet Theo Francken 01:30 - 10 Years After Brussels Attacks03:10 - 200 Soldiers Deployed in Belgium06:00 - WHO is Threatening Belgians?08:43 - IRGC and the Muslim Brotherhood 10:02 - Enemy Combatants on Western Soil10:32 - Summer of Terror REPEAT11:40 - What is the BIGGEST Threat?12:17 - The Russian THREAT 15:41 - Russia's Shadow Fleet 17:31 - Will Belgium HELP Gulf Countries 19:13 - End Goal For Iran War20:43 - Is Common Sense Dead?21:38 - Mass Migration Is A Threat?www.visegrad24.com 👉 Follow us on social media :👉Twitter: / visegrad24 👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visegrad.24...📌 Disclaimer:This video is for informational and educational purposes only. It covers ongoing geopolitical events, sectarian violence, and migration issues from a journalistic and analytical perspective. It does not promote hate, discrimination, or violence against any individual or group. All views expressed aim to foster awareness and understanding of complex international issues. Viewer discretion is advised due to the sensitive nature of the topics discussed.