According to SP.A chairman Conner Rousseau, the new party name Vooruit has indeed been discussed with the Ghent arts center of the same name. He is therefore not concerned about a possible legal procedure. He announced this in The Morning on Radio 1.
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Less than an hour after the SP.A announced its future name to the general public with the necessary drum roll, the Vooruit arts center was already on the brakes. ‘We regret this’, it sounds to the Gentenaars. According to the arts center, the name change was only briefly discussed and the SP.A had already made its decision, even though it was criticized. ‘I’m glad they admit that we have already discussed it,’ says Conner Rousseau in the morning on Radio 1. ‘At first it sounded as if we hadn’t said anything about it. There have actually been some very good conversations. We have respect for the Vooruit arts center, which is a monument with a reputation in the cultural landscape. But should that be a problem now? People will see the difference between an arts center and a party. We can live together in perfect harmony. ‘
‘This is a free country’
The Vooruit does not want to take legal action against SP.A deert Rousseau. ‘Ah, que sera sera. This is a free country. Everyone does what he or she wants. Although they should know that the name has been around longer than 1982 (when the arts center was founded, ed.). Forward refers to our cooperative past and at a time when the country is standing still, we want to move forward. Whether there is a link with Avanti? I don’t think people make that link. The name had been chosen even before corona infections were diagnosed in our ranks and long before I was appointed preformer. ‘
According to Rousseau, the party will moult into a movement that “opens the windows and doors” to the wider public. ‘But ideology does not go overboard with that. I will always continue to call myself a socialist. Just like Labor in England does. ‘
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