Joris Desbonnet archives

Collection description

Holding institution:: Archives, Documentation and Research Centre of Flemish Nationalism

Holding institution (official language):: Archief-, Documentatie en Onderzoekscentrum voor het Vlaams-Nationalisme

Scope and content:: In this fonds we firstly note the antisemitic propaganda written by Joris Desbonnet himself. Nr. 3 contains i.a. antisemitic articles including the brochure “Wie won en wie verrijkte zich in den Wereldoorlog?” (1935-1936). In no. 11 we find an undated screenplay written by Desbonnet titled “Het Jodendom valt aan”. Furthermore we also mention the texts of the fourth and fifth congress of the antisemitic press agency Welt Dienst in Erfurt (resp. in 1937 and 1938). These documents were transferred to the “Collectie congressen”; see the references in nos. 7 and 8. In no. 10 we note various antisemitic documents, including a list of Jews from Ghent, a press clippings related to the screening of the film “De eeuwige Jood”, documents concerning to the “Judaisation of heavy industry” (sic) and “Jewish-Zionist organisations in Belgium for the year 1938-1939”. Lastly, the nos. 12 and 19 contain press clippings collected by Desbonnet, including antisemitic articles and texts related to the Jewish population.

Administrative/biographical history:: Joris Desbonnet was an engineer from Ghent. He was an ardent anti-Communist and antisemite and was active in ultranationalist organisations during the interwar period. During the Occupation he followed other members of the Belgisch-Nederlandsche Solidaristen to join the Verdinaso. Desbonnet became the head of the Dinaso-Centrale voor Anti-Judaïstische en Anti-Maçonnieke Actie. Later he would also become active in the antisemitic and anti-Masonic organisation L’Épuration/De Bezem. (L. Saerens, Vreemdelingen in een wereldstad: een geschiedenis van Antwerpen en zijn joodse bevolking, Tielt, Lannoo, 2000.)

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Antisemitism--Antisemitic propaganda; Antisemitism--Antisemitic publications; Film