Belgium's Red Leader Shot: Post-War Assassination
Far-right gunmen assassinated Julien Lahaut, chairman of the Belgian Communist Party, at his home in Seraing on August 18, 1950, just three days after he had heckled the newly installed King Baudouin at his oath-taking ceremony by shouting "Vive la republique!" The murder was almost certainly organized by members of Belgium's extreme-right networks, possibly with knowledge of elements within the Belgian security apparatus. The case remained officially unsolved for decades, though investigative journalists later identified the likely perpetrators. Lahaut's assassination exposed the raw political tensions in post-war Belgium between monarchists and anti-monarchists, and between Cold War factions competing for control of the Belgian state.
August 18, 1950
76 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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