This Saturday around 11 p.m., a shooting with blank bullets took place in front of the establishment La Taverne Binchoise located on the Grand-Place in Binche. “But contrary to what some media have indicated, there was no ransacking inside my establishment.”, protests Mickaël Tsoullou who was there on Saturday evening during the events which did not cause any injuries. “Two young people actually tried to enter the cafe where regarding twenty people were quietly seated. On a Saturday evening, the day before storms, it is generally very calm. They threw down the hi-fi equipment that was in place at the entrance and I intervened so as not to let them go any further. A few seconds later, we actually heard a lot of noise, like firecrackers and personally, I thought they were hitting hard in the window out of spite. Obviously, they were looking for someone but we draw a blank.”
The noises that Mickaël Tsoullou and his clients heard were actually that of a gun but firing blanks. “But honestly, we only realized this when the police told us a few minutes following their rapid intervention. Contrary to what some media reported, no one hid in the kitchens or in the toilets and no one panicked unduly. All there was was a small knock in the glass. In good faith, I even posted a Facebook post that reassured everyone that it was not a shooting. When the cops found casings, I obviously pulled it out.”
According to Mickaël Tsoullou, these young people would have come from a neighboring town to seek revenge following scuffles which would have taken place the day before not in the establishment itself but well outside, on the square. “There was no fight on Friday evening in my establishment even if, indeed, the young people who took part in the scuffle had spent the evening here. But I can’t be responsible for what my customers do once they leave my cafe. Since I took over the Tavern a year and a half ago, there has never been a fight inside. I am sincerely sorry for the customers who were in the cafe at the time.”
Sunday evening, the Taverne Binchoise was well and truly open for the soumonces and the evening went well. “I admit to having hesitated to open because I was mentally tired following the evening of the previous day, but I was reassured by the police who assured me that they would be numerous and on patrol in the city center to ensure that everyone’s safety.”
As for the authors, the investigation is a priori still in progress to determine their identity.
