Belgium (or is it Flanders?) Rocks!

Special post for the International Day against Racism!!

I always thought Belgium was a fantastic place - I spent some fantastic 6 months there. One of the major highlights of my short life. Also fell in love there, which helps.

But today I think Belgium rocks because of this.

In response to three couples refusing to be wedded by Deputy Mayor Wouter Van Bellingen because he was BLACK. Rwandan-born, adopted by a Flemish family at birth, the man is as Flemish as a Flemish waffle. (a chocolate waffle, hahaha. Okay, very bad joke. I withdraw).

So the Flemish did... a GIANT symbolic group wedding. 700 couples. Nothing too fancy. Most were dressed casually, all seemed happy. All said 'I do' and kissed their spouse. And guess who presided the ceremony? That's right, Mr. Van Bellingen!

And on the International Day against Racism. Nice pick you guys ;)

If 1/4 of the people of Flanders hadn't voted for the racist party Vlaams-Belang (a supporter of whom murdered a black nanny and the 2-year old baby she was caring for last year), it could have been one of the best place in the world to live. It's already very cosmopolitan - but all shades of colours are not very welcome!

Still. Great news. Keep it up, Vlaanderen!

By the way - last year a 20-minutes news flash on RTBF (the French Belgian television network) ran a very realistic hoax that Flanders had proclaimed independence! They made fake interviews of stars, of MPs, of ministers... They had said (discretely) that it was a joke but a LOT of people bought into it!

Pretty damn good - and they made it pretty plausible... But perhaps it was plausible because it is a real possibility. Disgruntled Flemish, net contributors to the government budget and underrepresented in the government...

A television show that got a lot of toes curled up in their shoes, I can tell you...

If you want to see the clip (it's in French, subtitled in Flemish) - click here.