Antwerp: Annick De Ridder witness racism

An evening out in Antwerp.. In the car just before Annick De Ridder's sit Moroccan youngsters. On the sidewalk, a religious Jew. The youngsters have wild fun, heap abuse on the Jewish man and motion with two fingers across the throat. "I flash my lights and with gestures make it clear that I have noted their license number," says De Ridder. "They drive on, I stop by the Jewish man. A Brit visiting Antwerp. Is this Antwerp? he shook. I apologized on behalf of all Antwerp residents."

The Moroccan youth sneakingly followed De Ridder and from the car made it clear they want to talk to her. De Ridder says she's in the Flemish parliament and in the Antwerp city council for the Open Vld party and will not drop it.

"Those fellows didn't just lose their self control. They do in the street whatever they want? And: they will find me. Fearful." De Ridder made an extended report to the police. At the same time she asked Jozef De Witte of the Center for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism to investigate further. "I can't get rid of the impression that the hostility of people with a Muslim background to the Jewish community is continuously rising," says De Ridder.

Source: Jong VLD Berchem (Dutch)

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