Victor de Laveleye

Victor Auguste de Laveleye (Brussels, 5 November 1894 - Elsene, 14 December 1945) was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. He also served as announcer on Radio Belgique during World War II.

De Laveleye was a doctor in law, and was municipality Council member of Sint-Gillis, President of the Liberal Party (1936–1937) and Liberal member of parliament (1939–1945) for the district Brussels. De Laveleye was minister of justice (1937) and of public education (1944–1945). During World War II he was newsreader for Radio Belgique, a BBC station transmitted to occupied Belgium.

V sign
On 14 January 1941, he asked all Belgians to choose the letter "V" as a rallying sign, being the first letter of victoire (victory) in French and of vrijheid (freedom) in Dutch”. This was the beginning of the "V campaign"" which saw "V" graffities on the walls of Belgium and later all of Europe and introduced the use of the "V sign" for victory and freedom. English occultist Aleister Crowley alleged to have privately suggested the V sign to de Laveleye for use as propaganda against the Nazi swastika.

Sports
He competed for Belgium in tennis at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics. He was nephew of Baron Edouard de Laveleye, chairman of the Belgian Olympic Committee.