A complaint has been filed against municipal councilor Bernard Guillaume for Islamophobic remarks made in Schaerbeek during a meeting of the advisory council on animal welfare. The municipal councilor from the Reformist Movement indeed described Islam as an ‘extremist religion‘ and also stated: ‘ Muslims want to impose their law here, but this is a secular country. If they’re not happy, they can go back to where they came from.’ “He added: ” With the ritual slaughter issue, Belgium has taken a 20-year step backwards. ” Bernard Guillaume has denied the facts, but a complaint has been lodged by the local animal welfare officer.
Mayor Cécile Jodogne (DéFi) stated yesterday, June 18, that these remarks were intolerable and promised to take necessary measures. As a result, disciplinary actions could be considered against Bernard Guillaume.
These remarks were made a few days after those of Michel Claise, a DéFi candidate for the federal elections, who claimed during a radio show on May 30 to be ‘Islamistophobic‘. When the journalist asked: At DéFi, do you think we should protect ourselves from religious symbols? Are we afraid of getting hit by a veil or a crucifix? He responded ‘Don’t want to get hit by a bomb, either‘. This response creates an explicit link between Muslim religious symbols and terrorism and reveals a toxic climate within the Belgian political sphere.
