Black Front / National Front Zwart Front / Nationaal Front | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Arnold Meijer |
| Founded | May 1934 |
| Dissolved | December 1941 |
| Split from | General Dutch Fascist League |
| Headquarters | Oisterwijk (Black Front), The Hague (National Front) |
| Newspaper | Zwart Front De Weg Nederlandsch Dagblad |
| Ideology | Fascism Greater Netherlands |
| Colors | Black |
TheBlack Front (Dutch:Zwart Front), later known as theNational Front (Nationaal Front) was a Dutchirredentist andfascist movement active before and during the first years of theSecond World War.
The Black Front grew out of the southern section of theGeneral Dutch Fascist League, with regional organiserArnold Meijer quarrelling with leaderJan Baars and leading his followers out in 1934.[1] The Black Front emerged and soon took over a number of smaller movements, while also gaining some support among the poorer parts of society. Although similar to its parent movement, the Black Front emphasised a moreCatholic line in tune with Meijer's own religious beliefs.[2] Taking its cue in part fromItalian fascism, it adopted that movement's black-shirted uniform while adding a unique emblem featuring a sword between a pair of ram horns.[3]
As a revolutionary fascist party, the small organisation was fiercely anti-capitalist and often came into contact with the justice system. Meijer was convicted multiple times of ignoring the ban on political uniforms and insulting government officials, includingPrime Minister Colijn. In 1938, the Black Front leader spent three months in theprison of Breda for insulting Prime Minister Colijn and Minister Van Schaik.[4] The party also had a paramilitary wing named the Black Storm (Zwarte Storm).[4]
The group struggled to gain support from theNational Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB); it was renamed the National Front in 1940.[1] The National Front was ultimately banned byNazi Germany on 14 December 1941, along with all other Dutch political parties except for the NSB. The majority of its members switched to the NSB, although Meijer, disillusioned, left politics altogether.[5]
