2023-10-05 17:28:51
The president of Vooruit, Conner Rousseau, apologized Thursday evening for the remarks he made at the beginning of September to police officers in Sint-Niklaas when he had drunk too much.
“I’m a little scared of myself and I was wrong. I want to apologize very sincerely,” he said.he president of Vooruit, Conner Rousseauduring a press conference at the café ‘t Hemelrijk in Sint-Niklaas, which followed his hearing by the federal judicial police in Ghent.
“In my neighborhood, nuisance, littering and harassment have long been a source of frustration. At one point, I started a conversation with police officers in a drunken state. I incorrectly expressed the frustration of many residents of the neighborhood. Even though it was a joke, I’m a little shocked at myself and how wrong I was. I would like to apologize very sincerely,” explained Conner Rousseau.
To comment on the most high-profile incident of the past week, the president of Vooruit chose the very location of the event. “These are things I would never say while sober, so I’m not going to repeat them here while sober either.”
But Conner Rousseau indicates that he encouraged the police to use their batons once morest the Roma to gain respect from them. “I disapprove of this statement, even if it was a joke,” he said. “The images clearly show that it was a joke. But I distance myself from this quote because it is a thousand miles from who I am.”
Recall of facts
The president of Vooruit is in turmoil. Conner Rousseau had recently been concerned by three complaints for indecency, but they were classified without further action. Relief. But in the process, he found himself involved in this other affair.
On the night of September 1 to 2, the leader of the Flemish socialists went to a café in his town and discussed with police officers. He then allegedly made potentially racist comments. The facts are not very clear.
“I actually went to a pub in Sint-Niklaas that day and spoke to several police officers. I had drunk too much, but as I remember, the tenor of these conversations was rather pleasant and friendly“, explained Conner Rousseau.
Open investigation
An official report was drawn up 10 days following the incident. The East Flanders federal judicial police have taken over the investigation. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, she examined the bodycam footage and audio, which the defense says does not match the information in the report.
Conner Rousseau was interviewed in Ghent this Thursday by the police as part of this investigatione. The prosecution must decide whether to prosecute.
The affair gained further momentum when Het Laatste Nieuws and VTM, which had prepared an article and a report on the subject with passages from the minutes, were banned from publication in summary proceedings, following a request from Conner Rousseau who had addressed the courts. A ban that looks like an attack on press freedom. Next Wednesday, the Dendermonde summary judge will examine the third-party opposition filed by DPG Media once morest this decision.
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