2023-11-03 13:32:33
A petition is circulating in Brussels to request that the Pétillon metro station located in Etterbeek change its name. The reason ? This is a tribute to Major Arthur Pétillon. The officer was a key player in the colonization of the Congo under the orders of Leopold II. “It is time to re-evaluate certain tributes that have been paid in the past,” said the authors of the petition in their introductory text.
The authors also propose an alternative name. They chose to pay tribute to Lucie Spède, “an Etterbeek poet whose work remains little known. Her poetry was sincere, strong and inclusive, so she adapted her work to make it accessible to children with disabilities,” we can read on the site which hosts the petition.
The petition has collected 235 signatures so far. As part of the nomination of stops, it is the Region which is competent. Elke Van den Brandt’s office spoke and explained that it was trying to contact the authors of the petition. He affirms that “adding feminine names in public spaces is part of our concerns […] Pétillon is a case that might well lend itself to this,” reports our colleagues at BX1.
For his part, the mayor of the commune of Etterbeek, Vincent De Wolf (MR) also spoke to BX1, “The fact that a person requests a change of name is legitimate, but we must respect the neighborhood which is around.” Regarding the colonial dimension, he adds “Etterbeek did not remain idle: we created a mixed commission made up of municipal representatives and citizens, and chaired by an opposition councilor of Congolese origin, Gisèle Mandaila ( Challenge). This commission met a large number of times and produced a qualitative report, approved by the council and the municipal college. The commission expressed the opinion that Etterbeek needs contextualization work. » The mayor concludes with these words, “It is clear that I cannot be in favor of a change of name, choosing between pear and cheese without any reflection when work has been carried out on this subject, via this commission “.
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