Manuel Abramowicz is a Belgian journalist, writer, educator, and researcher of the far right. Since 1997 he has led RésistanceS, a Belgian publication and observatory focused on far-right politics. His books and journalism examine extremism, antisemitism, racism, radical-left movements, and alternative political press.
Background
Abramowicz was born in Brussels on September 23, 1967, into a family with Jewish and Spanish backgrounds. His parents came from working-class families and later pursued university education. He attended the Cours Charlemagne in Brussels, a school described as shaped by Catholic influences associated with the Second Vatican Council and the social movements of 1968.
He recalled becoming involved in protest against the Pinochet dictatorship as a young child. His later political and journalistic work developed in Belgium, where he has written extensively about far-right movements and antifascist organizing.
Education
Abramowicz attended the Cours Charlemagne in Brussels. The school’s history and identity have been associated with Catholic educational influences shaped by the Second Vatican Council and the social climate of 1968.
He later studied social work and completed a master’s degree in political and social economics at the Université catholique de Louvain in 2004, through its Faculté ouverte de politique économique et sociale (FOPES). UCL is a major Belgian university, while FOPES provides university-level education in political economy and social questions. His final research examined the electoral, political, and social impact of the French-speaking radical left in Belgium from 1963 to 2004.
Career
Abramowicz began his professional career with a period at the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF. In 1993 he worked on the staff of federal minister Magda De Galan, whose portfolio included social integration. He later joined Éditions Vie Ouvrière (EVO), a publishing house established by the Mouvement ouvrier chrétien, before taking a press-officer position at the Centre pour l’égalité des chances et la lutte contre le racisme, a federal public body addressing discrimination and racism. He held that position until the end of 2008.
In 1997 Abramowicz founded and became editor of RésistanceS, a publication devoted to investigating and analyzing the Belgian far right. First issued in print, it developed into an online journal and observatory; its work has included research-based reporting and public education. He has contributed to television reports and educational documentaries, including work on Belgium’s Front national and Vlaams Belang, and has collaborated with publications including CeliuS, Contradictions, Rue des Usines, Regards, Politique, Golias, Le Journal du Mardi, Espace de Liberté, and Le Journal des Juristes démocrates. These outlets include political and cultural periodicals, a secular humanist review, and a legal-professional journal.
Abramowicz has also taught at the Haute École Libre de Bruxelles–Ilya Prigogine (HELB), where he has been described as a teaching assistant in social work and communication. His teaching has included crisis communication, national and international institutions, publishing techniques, and the print press. His books and articles have addressed far-right politics, antisemitism, racism, the radical left, and alternative media; he has also written on the political history of the Belgian radical left.
Achievements
Founded RésistanceS in 1997 and developed it from a print publication into an online journal and observatory reporting on the Belgian far right.
Co-realized educational documentaries and contributed to television reporting on Belgium’s far-right parties and movements.
Published research and analysis on the far right, antisemitism, racism, the radical left, and alternative political media.
(A guide to understanding and opposing the far right, comb...)
2005
political history
La Belgique sauvage : les gauches radicales en Belgique francophone de 1945 à nos jours
(A co-authored historical study of radical-left movements ...)
2009
political study
La Représentation électorale des partis d’extrême droite
(A study co-authored with Wim Haelsterman and published in...)
1997
Les Rats noirs : l’extrême droite en Belgique francophone
(A study of far-right organizations and politics in French...)
1996
thesis
La gauche radicale en Belgique francophone (1963-2004) : impact électoral, politique et social
(Abramowicz’s FOPES-UCL final research thesis examined the...)
2004
Politics
Abramowicz began his political involvement in the youth wing of the Parti ouvrier socialiste (Socialist Workers Party), a Belgian Trotskyist organization later known as the Revolutionary Communist League. He subsequently participated in several left-wing political formations, including the Parti socialiste in 1993 and Gauches unies after its creation in 1994. In 2008, he described himself as left-wing but said he was no longer a member of a political party.
Trotskyism is a revolutionary Marxist current associated with Leon Trotsky and his opposition to the bureaucratic direction of the Soviet Union. Abramowicz’s own political work has centered on researching and opposing the far right, racism, and antisemitism. His published analyses and leadership of RésistanceS have connected that work with a broader left-wing commitment to democratic freedoms and opposition to social inequality.
Membership
Abramowicz has participated in organizations concerned with antiracism, political research, and democratic memory. His documented roles include involvement with SOS Racisme in Belgium, service on the scientific council of the Centre de recherche et d’études politiques, and founding membership in Mémoire & Politique. These organizations work in areas including opposition to racism, political research, and the preservation and discussion of political history.
Participated in the foundation of the Belgian branch.
SOS Racisme-Belgium
,
Belgium
1989
Member of the scientific council.
Centre de recherche et d’études politiques
,
Belgium
Founding member.
Mémoire & Politique
,
Belgium
Interests
He created the CheQuotidien blog to examine the public image of Che Guevara and its use in advertising.
Sport & Clubs
Football; he has described himself as a supporter of Union Saint-Gilloise.
Connections
Abramowicz has collaborated on publications with Wim Haelsterman and Pierre Guyaut-Genon. Haelsterman co-authored a study of far-right electoral representation with him, while Guyaut-Genon co-wrote the novel Nakam.
Collegue :
Wim Haelsterman
Co-authored a 1997 study of the electoral representation of far-right parties.
The Guide des résistances à l’extrême droite received the prize’s 2006 award for best French-language book. The award recognizes writing related to democracy and political analysis.
The Guide des résistances à l’extrême droite received the prize’s 2006 award for best French-language book. The award recognizes writing related to democracy and political analysis.
