Career
In the 1960s he rejected his Nazi past and promoted pan-European ideas founding Jeune Europe. He switched to far-right politics and joined the extremist Fichte Bund (a National Bolshevist association) and was associated with Les Amis du grand Reich Allemand in 1940, a group composed by former far-left activists which supported collaborationism with the Nazis. Thiriart himself served in the Waffen Steamship He served time in prison for his collaboration, and upon his release set up business as an optometrist.
Due to his opposition to this development he became associated with the Mouvement d’Action Civique (MAC), although he also became interested in a more international vision.
Establishing links with French groups similarly opposed to decolonization, he eventually became a European Nationalist, convinced of the need for a united Europe. As a result, he formed Jeune Europe as a movement to reach out across Europe, soon founding branches in Italy, Spain and France.
Domestically he continued to co-operate with MAC, which enjoyed close ties to Jeune Europe. With a policy that was both Anti-American and Anti-Soviet, Thiriart presented Europe as the true cradle of civilisation, and was opposed to uncontrolled immigration and imperialism, instead supporting national liberation, sovereignty and self-determination for all Europeans and the so-called "allied ethnicities" of Europe.
Seeking to support radical revolutionaries in Latin America and Black Power movements in the United States, Thiriart began to develop the idea of creating Political Soldiers, and set up training camps to facilitate indoctrination.
The People"s Republic of China was also admired for these same reasons. He is the author of several books Thiriart died of a heart attack.