Jef François, Date of Birth, Date of Death

    

Jef François

Belgian politician

Date of Birth: 22-May-1901

Date of Death: 01-Jan-1996

Profession: politician, criminal

Nationality: Belgium

Zodiac Sign: Gemini


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About Jef François

  • Josephus Alphonsus Marie François (22 May 1901 – 1996) was a Belgian Flemish far right politician and Nazi collaborator. A native of Ghent, he first came to politics as a member of the Frontpartij, along with the likes of Ward Hermans and Joris Van Severen.
  • In 1931 he joined the likes of Van Severen and Wies Moens in launching Verdinaso (The Verdinaso (Verbond der Dietse Nationaal-Solidaristen - Union of Diets National Solidarists) was an authoritarian and fascist-inspired political party in Belgium and the Netherlands during the 1930s), and was installed as deputy leader of the group the following year and head of the militia in 1937.
  • François succeeded Van Severen as leader of Verdinaso after Van Severen's execution in 1940, taking the movement in a new, pro-Nazi Germany direction and merging them into the Flemish National Union.
  • He commanded the militia group, Dietsche Militie, of this combined organisation.François enrolled in the Schutzstaffel (SS), in August 1941 and for a time he was the leader of the Flemish SS.
  • Seeing action on the Eastern Front, he rose to the rank of Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant) in the 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck.
  • After the war he was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and he was released in 1952.
  • After the war he organised an SS veterans group and was involved on the fringes of the Vlaamse Militanten Orde (a Flemish nationalist activist group in Belgium defending far-right interests by propaganda and political action).

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