Ferdinand Hardijns

Ferdinandus Carolus Hardijns was a Belgian trade unionist and politician.
Born in Ghent, Hardijns worked in a factory and was a founding member of the Belgian Labour Party, in 1885. The following year, he became the editor of Vooruit, a socialist newspaper. In it, he printed an appeal for the police not to shoot striking workers, and when he refused to print a response to the article, he was sentenced to two months in prison or a 200 franc fine.
In 1895, Hardijns became the general secretary of the International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations, serving for two years. Also in 1895, he was elected as a city councillor in Ghent, serving until 1926.