The leader of the Flemish social democratic party Vooruit in Belgium, Conner Rousseau, came under strong criticism on Tuesday, even from his own camp, for what he perceived as derogatory and xenophobic remarks about diversity in Brussels and especially in Molenbeek. The chairman of Vooruit said in an interview with the Flemish weekly Humo that he felt “not in Belgium” when “driving across Molenbeek”. Conner Rousseau’s remarks about Molenbeek were heavily criticised: “Unbearable, stigmatising and xenophobic”.
“But most of these people were born here. The most important thing is that they speak our language and work. In Brussels, because of the shortage of teachers, there are people who teach in Arabic in class because they don’t speak French. That is unacceptable. And what is the Flemish government doing? It is increasing the cost of language courses to reduce the waiting lists,” he said.
In an interview on Tuesday morning (De Ochtend, Radio 1), he said that he was actually arguing for a good social mix. In his view, in some regions almost only Arabic is spoken and children are therefore not encouraged to learn Dutch or French, which undermines their chances at school and in the labour market. […]
There was also great indignation among francophone socialists. “These remarks are intolerable, stigmatising and xenophobic. Brussels is a cosmopolitan region with neighbourhoods that have a great diversity of population. They deserve better than disrespect worthy of a pub debate. It is pathetic and unbearable,” reacted Brussels SP leader Ahmed Laaouej.
N-VA MP Theo Francken also reacted: “The Socialists have voted against tightening migration policy for years. They only conquered liberal Brussels thanks to mass immigration, which they defended so much and still defend. The PS Moureaux family has ruled Molenbeek for decades, don’t make me laugh,” he tweeted.
For Ecolo co-chair Rajae Maouane, Conner Rousseau’s comments are “intolerable”. “They show a great misjudgement of Brussels. The people of Brussels deserve respect”.[…]Le Soir