Raoul Hedebouw


Raoul Hedebouw is a Belgian politician of the Workers' Party of Belgium.

Youth

Raoul Hedebouw was born in Liège to Flemish parents, WPB activists who moved to Liège to establish the party in the Walloon region. Hedebouw grew up in a working-class neighbourhood in Herstal and was raised bilingually in both Dutch and French. He studied biology at the University of Liège, and became politically active during student strikes against the reforms of the then Minister of Higher Education Michel Lebrun.

Political career

Hedebouw joined the far left 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 workers' day on 1 May he was stabbed in the leg. The damage was limited and Hedebouw was able to finish his speech before being taken to hospital.