Jules Destree

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Jules Destrée was born on August 21, 1863, in France but spent his adult life in Brussels, where he passed away on January 3, 1936. As a prominent Walloon lawyer, cultural analyst and socialist leader, Destrée dedicated himself to the Belgian Labour Party after witnessing the trials of 1886, which sparked his involvement with the party's mission. In 1912, Destrée penned an influential Letter to the King that is widely regarded as the original manifesto of the Walloon movement. He gained notoriety for coining the phrase "There are no Belgians," a commentary on the absence of national pride among Flemings and Walloons, which he used to argue in favor of establishing a federal state.