Flemish socialist leader instructed to follow therapy following un-PC statements
As part of the investigation into possibly racist statements made by Flemish socialist leader Conner Rousseau, East Flanders public prosecutors have launched a mediation procedure. After a late night drinking session Conner Rousseau used the words in connection with the Roma community in the town of Sint-Niklaas while speaking to police. Rousseau has also been instructed to visit the Dossin Barracks in Mechelen and attend sessions with a therapist. The Dossin Barracks is a memorial site, documentation centre and museum to the Holocaust and human rights in Belgium.
It has now been decided that mediation proceedings will be initiated. Measures include requiring the Flemish socialist leader, the leader of the party Vooruit, to visit the Dossin Barracks in Mechelen, the museum of the Holocaust and human rights. Rousseau must also attend sessions with a therapist looking into the impact of words and use of language.
"I heard the decision of the public prosecutor's office. I acknowledge my mistake and will scrupulously implement the measures," Conner Rousseau now says. A official at the justice department will supervise the correct implementation of the measures for a year.
If the mediation process is brought to a successful conclusion, Rousseau will not be prosecuted in connection with this case. A Brussels Roma organisation that filed a complaint against Rousseau is also part of the mediation process. Lawyer Abderrahim Lahlali says he is embarking on the mediation with "an open mind" but he points out that his client needs to “feel restored”.
"Obviously, we will suggest a number of additional conditions, all related to acknowledging the damage he has done," Lahlali adds. Among other things, he is thinking of an educational week at death camp Auschwitz, where the Nazis killed a lot of Roma.