Central committee of Walloon action

The Central committee of Walloon Action was created by the Third Walloon National congress joined together with Namur in 1947. The first committee of 12 members was composed in particular of Fernand Schreurs, Jean Pirotte, Fernand Dehousse, Henri Glineur, Marcel-Hubert Gregoire…

Before 1960-1961

It took a series of initiatives like the organization of press conferences to Brussels and Paris (where will be put on piued a Information center ). The Central committee of Walloon Action (CCAW) also creates Regional committees of Walloon action (CRAW) with which will be associated the local agents, local Walloon associations of the Walloon Mouvement. These are the CRAW which will develop during all the month of July 1950, in particular around the war memorials and with the monuments of the Belgian Révolution of 1830 of the patriotic and Walloon demonstrations directed against Léopold III. In general, the CRAW receive the support of the left parties: regional FGTB of Liege - Huy - Waremme and of Namur is affiliated there collectively and several among these regional, at the time of their local congresses, will adopt the Fédéralisme At the time of the Joyeuse Entry of Baudouin Ier in Liege, the CRAW of Liege affixes 800 posters there and distributes thousands of leaflets to it stating the Walloon objections: for the federalism, against the release of unpatriotique, concern of the delocalizations, refusal of bilingualism etc

From 1953 to 1957, the CRAW enter a certain lethargy. That of Charleroi organizes the Walloon National congress of 1957 held in this city. That of Liege, under the presidency of Simon Passover, critical the policy of the government, supports the candidature of Liege like viille accommodating the authorities of ECSC. A Committee is created with Tournai at the end of 1957. The Central committee of Walloon Action joins together the important Walloon movements on November 30th with Namur. Even if there remains active by organizing in particular a Walloon day with the Expo 58, the same year organizes one day of studies on the linguistic problems with the Congo, the CCAW falls down in the lethargy.

After the Great strike

It is the General strike of the winter 1960-1961 which makes it leave as it is the case of so many of other Walloon movements. The comitésrégionaux ones are reactivated with Liege, Namur (Jean Pirotte), Verviers, Brussels (Marcel-Hubert Gregoire), Tournai - Mouscron (Georges Desomberg), Charleroi (Maurice Bologna), Ath, the Center, the the Walloon Brabant. They organize meetings and meeting on the business of the Fourons; the attempt to impose bilingualism on Waterloo, Hulpe, Braine-l' Alleud. September 26th, 1962, it joins together a great number of deputies and Walloon and French-speaking senators with Namur.

It is the most active period of the movement which organizes a conference in Brussels, a demonstration in Liege against the fastening of the Fourons to the Limbourg which will bring together 30.000 people (October 24th, 1962), of another demonstration with Charleroi (May 26th, 1963). March 23rd, 1963, the Central committee of Walloon Action will put in, place the Managerial college of Wallonia which will organize the Walloon Pétitionnement. It rejoins also the Walloon Popular movement very reserved at the beginning with regard to the Walloon National congress whose Central committee of Walloon Action emanates. Also join themselves the Committee, Wallonia Libre, Walloon Rénovation; the Walloon liberal Movement, the Walloon Association of the personnel of the public services, federations socialist of Liege, Huy - Waremme, Namur and Bubbles, the FGTB of Liege and Namur, the CGSP of Charleroi, the Union of the women of Wallonia.

At the time of the installation of the Managerial college of Wallonia are present in particular Simon Passover, Jean Terfve, Jacques Hoyaux, Leon Hurez, Robert Lambion, Fernand Schreurs, Hubert Rassart, Robert Royer, André Genot, Freddy Terwagne, Lucien Outers, Marcel-Hubert Gregoire, Fernand Massart. The participants in the meeting fall from agreement to require a reform of the State in the direction of the federalism.

But after the success of the Walloon Petitioning, the declaration of incompatibility between the membership of the PSB and the Walloon Movement, the CCAW seems definitively buried. It is into 1965 that the first Walloon lists will have elected officials (François Perin in Liege and Robert Moreau in Charleroi), success which will be confirmed in 1968 with the formation of the Walloon Rassemblement which will dépasserra this year the 10% of voiux in Wallonia. The Encyclopédie of the Walloon Movement devotes two pages to the Central committee of Walloon Action in its Volume I, pp. 302-304

Random links: