Mind your manners in Brussels
2012-09-06 14:33
The people of the Belgian capital will have to mind
their manners carefully from now on, with the city authorities ready to
levy fines of up to €250 (about R2 637 at R10.37/ €) for insults traded on the streets.
"Any form of insult is from now on punishable, whether
it be racist, homophobic or otherwise," a spokesman Tuesday quoted
Socialist mayor Freddy Thielemans as saying.
Brussels, home to the EU and many top international
institutions, is known for its family-friendly and cultivated lifestyle
but the mayor wants to crack down on the everyday unpleasantness found
in any big city.
To do so, officials came to an agreement with judicial
authorities to impose fines of between €75 and 250 ($95-320) for
insults, petty theft and rough jostling where no physical harm is
caused.
The spokesman for the mayor said the courts up to now
had been too busy to take up such cases and as a result many police "had
little incentive to take any action over such incidents."
The issue was highlighted in a recent film by Belgian
director Sofie Peeters who recorded in secret the everyday insults and
exchanges she ran into on the streets of the city. - Sapa-AFP
Image: Shutterstock
