Legal information
Behaviour, uniforms and the law
Please be aware that Belgium has been occupied by the Germans, so German uniforms and uniforms of Axis forces are not always welcome!Wild camping and hiking in German uniforms can get you arrested in certain parts of the country. There is still a law on private militias and there are sometimes at certain dates and places police announcements that anyone who wears a German uniform may be arrested.
Certain impressions, even when German forces are invited,are not appreciated, but they are not illegal; therefore you should contact the organisors of the event or those responsible for the German forces. You should not offend someone with your uniform; otherwise that person can press charges against you.All German songs are legal. Putting your right arm in the air is not approved, nor are the words "Heil Hitler" and "Sieg Heil." Flags and armbands with large swastikas are not approved in Belgium.
Firearms laws
Automatic, semi-automatic and bolt-action military weapons are no longer allowed and must be demilitarized at the test-bench in Liège. When they are demilitarized by Belgian law, they carry a crowned lion and a stamp of the person who made them useless to fire them live rounds.Weapons for gun racks are the only legal live firearms on events. A list of them where published in 1991 and 1995 in 'Het Belgisch Staatsblad'. A new list has been published as of 02/08/07.
Most WWII bolt-actin weapons are legal to own without ammunition. A list of all legal weapons can be found here (32MB).
Alarm weapons are free to be used, but need also a Belgian indication, so the model is approved by the test-bench in Liège.Butterfly knives, stilettos, jump knives, military daggers with or without knuckle-dusters, bayonets and gravity knives are illegal.
All replica weapons are legal as they are seen as toys (e.g. Shoei, Marushin, MGCs) except for realistic imitation firearms, capable of firing projectiles. These firearms are mostly made for older periods of reenactment, so may not apply to WWII reenactment.Blank firing replicas or toy guns which are converted to blank firing are in a grey area of the law, as there is no law for them. So if you bring them to an event it is at your own risk of getting them confiscated and risking a fine.
Flare guns are legal in BelgiumIn the new Belgian gun law there are six exceptions to carry a weapon, one of them is 'participation in a historic, folkloristic, cultural or scientific activity' on the understanding that the organisation got permission from the local authorities.
The only authority concerning Belgian guns is the test-Bench, you can contact them:Proefbank voor Vuurwapens van Luik
Rue Fond-des-Tawes 45
4000 Liege
Tel. 04/ 227.14.55
Fax. 04/227.81.78
e-mail: banc.d.epreuves(at)proximedia.be
Road rules
When it rains, snows or hails; lorries, coaches and other vehicles above 3,5 ton may not pass each other! On auto roads and highways where 3 or 4 lanes are in the same direction, vehicles above 3,5 ton must stay on the 2 right lanes. Every passenger of a vehicle who becomes a pedestrian due to a malfunction of the vehicle or an accident must wear a fluorescent jacket.
Speed limits:
120 km/h
Highways or auto roads with 2 or more lanes in each direction and where the lanes in the opposite direction which have a solid separation. The minimum speed on these roads is 70 km/h.
90 km/h Vehicles with a mass of 7,5 ton or higher and coaches and auto cars on highways
90 km/h Auto roads with 2 or more lanes in each direction and where the lanes in the opposite direction are separated with markings on the road or on other public roads unless otherwise designated. 75 km/h Coaches and auto cars on auto roads with 2 or more lanes in each direction and where the lanes in the opposite direction are separated with markings on the road
60 km/h Other vehicles higher than 7,5 ton on the roads described above.
50 km/h In a built-up area: marked with a white rectangular sign with black letters and a silhouette of a town.
30 km/h In the 30 zone : marked with a small white sign with a painted 30 km/h limit sign on. In some residential areas there will be a large 30 km/h sign painted on the road. They are in the area of schools and places where many children could pass.
20 km/h In the 'play area' : marked with a rectangular blue sign with a man, a home, a car and a playing child. These areas have no boardwalk and there may be children playing on the public road.
Anecdotes
At one event a Waffen-SS tank crew in standard black panzer uniforms was told by the police to remove their Allgemeine-SS uniforms, because they got complaints from other reenactors (who clearly don't know the difference, thereby proving that more education is required on this subject.)As always, when you're in a foreign country for a reenactment, listen to the natives and follow their advice. Do not draw unnecessary attention to yourself and follow common sense.
© 2007 by bee • mailto: webmaster(at)ww2reenactment.info