Racism Scandal in Belgium: Mayor Resigns Over Discrimination Against Foreign Residents
Pieter De Crem, the mayor of Aalter in Belgium and former Deputy Prime Minister, has resigned following a racism scandal involving discriminatory practices against foreign residents during registration processes.
Kokcha News Agency – Pieter De Crem, the mayor of Aalter and a former Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, has stepped down after an investigation revealed that foreign residents faced discrimination during registration procedures at the municipality.
The scandal came to light following a joint investigation by Flemish public broadcaster VRT and the newspaper De Morgen in March. The investigation found that registration processes for individuals with foreign names took nine times longer than those for Belgian citizens.
The Flemish government conducted an audit, which confirmed the discriminatory nature of the policy. Flemish Interior Minister Hilde Crevits then launched an inquiry, raising the possibility of De Crem’s removal from office.
Crevits stated, “Legal provisions have been clearly violated for a long time.” De Crem, a member of the Christian Democratic CD&V party, announced his resignation as mayor and municipal council member yesterday.
However, the scandal does not affect De Crem’s current role as the General Commissioner of BelExpo, the organization responsible for representing Belgium at international fairs.
De Crem served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of the Interior from 2018 to 2020.
