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Raoul Hedebouw (born 12 July 1977) is a Belgian politician who has been serving as the president of the Workers' Party of Belgium (PVDA-PTB) since 2021. He previously served as the national spokesperson of the party until 2021, as well as parliamentary leader in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. He furthermore serves as member of the Liège City Council.[1]
Raoul Hedebouw | |
|---|---|
 Hedebouw at a climate action, Brussels, 2021 | |
| President of the Workers' Party of Belgium | |
| Assumed office 5 December 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Mertens |
| Member of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) | |
| Assumed office 25 May 2014 | |
| Member of the City Council of Liège | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2012 | |
| National spokesperson of Workers' Party of Belgium | |
| In office 2008–2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raoul Hedebouw 12 July 1977 Herstal, Belgium |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Belgium |
| Occupation |
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Raoul Hedebouw was born in Herstal, Liège on July 12, 1977, in a Dutch-speaking Flemish family; he was raised bilingually, both in Dutch and in French. Hedebouw grew up in a working-class neighbourhood, with his mother working in a factory producing medical equipment and his father as a steelworker in ArcelorMittal. In 1992, his mother was fired, which impacted Hedebouw's views: "What happened to my mother, has been a decisive factor in my engagement."[a][2]
Hedebouw went to study biology and botany at the University of Liège.[3]
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Hedebouw joined the Marxist PVDA-PTB and became its spokesperson in 2008. He was first elected as council member in Liège after the local elections of 2012. After the federal elections of 2014 he became one of the first two federal MPs for the PVDA-PTB. Hedebouw often gives his speeches in the Chamber in both Dutch and French, changing from one language to the other between sentences.
When preparing for a speech for the International Workers' Day on May 1, 2017, Hedebouw was attacked and stabbed in the leg. The damage was limited and Hedebouw was able to finish his speech before being taken to hospital, sustaining only a mild injury to his thigh.[4]
- Première à gauche. Entretien avec Gilles Martin (Left first, an interview with Gilles Martin, Editions Aden, 2013) ISBN 9782805920561
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