Sorry Everbody, I’m So Sorry, Really Sorry, I Sincerely Apologize

From the desk of Paul Belien on Fri, 2006-03-10 14:57

The City of Antwerp, governed by a coalition of Socialists, Liberals, Green and Christian-Democrats, has requested that the Belgian courts prosecute a member of the city council for the Vlaams Belang, the largest party in town and the only opposition. The Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (CEOOR), a tax-funded government inquisition office that under Belgian law has the competence to prosecute for discrimination and incitement to hatred, has also started a prosecution.

The councillor’s crime? He forwarded an e-mail that has been circulating widely on the internet for weeks. The councillor wrote:

A Danish website offers apologies to all “offended” Muslims. Here is what it says:
We’re sorry we gave you shelter when war drove you from your home country…
We’re sorry we took you in when others rejected you…
We’re sorry we gave you the opportunity to get a good education…
We’re sorry we gave you food and a home when you had none…
We’re sorry we let you re-unite with your family when your homeland was no longer safe…
We’re sorry we never forced you to work while WE paid all your bills…
We’re sorry we gave you almost FREE rent, phone, internet, car and school for your 10 kids…
We’re sorry we build you Mosques so you could worship your religion in our Christian land…
We’re sorry we never forced you to learn our language after staying 30 years…
We’re sorry for everything else…
And we’re sorry for having to say sorry…!

The councillor says that he forwarded the e-mail to friends, but the Antwerp municipal authorities say he also sent it to civil servants with Arab names. If that is true then that is not a very nice thing to do, but the councillor is not a nice person. Even then, it is not illegal to send e-mails to civil servants with Arab names. But under Belgian law it is illegal to send racist e-mails. According to the Belgian autorities the Danish text is racist. Do not pass it on to Belgians. You will be sorry if you do.

If the councillor is found guilty he can be sentenced to jail and will lose the right to vote and stand for elections.

The ministers of foreing affairs

Submitted by Poul Nielsen on Fri, 2006-03-10 22:25.

The ministers of foreing affairs in EU do what they allways do - talk ! In EU's history, they have never maked any important decisions.

Since France and other countries must vote yes to the new Union, I don't think any leaders in Europe (except Sweden) would bring the issue up, at a national level.

The madnes continues ...

Submitted by Poul Nielsen on Fri, 2006-03-10 19:18.

Well - if people don't want the e-mail, they can just install a spam filter ... So they would not receive mails with the name "We’re sorry we".

From my point of view, I can only regard such a mail as spam - if the persons who sent it, don't know who are receiving it.

Ofcourse a person could have a virus on his PC - where the result is; spreading of unwanted mails.

It's only racist if a member of Vlaams Belang sends it

Submitted by kareljansens on Fri, 2006-03-10 17:51.

Apparently, the "Sorry, sorry-song" was published in "De Standaard", one of the larger (meaning that they actually sell more than a thousand copies a day) Flemish newspapers even before the councillor -- allegedly! -- sent out his e-mail. One can assume that at least a few Arab-oriented co-Belgians must have read that newspaper.

What now?

When was it published in De

Submitted by Brigands on Fri, 2006-03-10 19:42.

When was it published in De Standaard? I wonder if this doesnt fall under the liberty of the press. Besides arnt e-mails supposed to be a private affair?

When you send an e-mail to

Submitted by Poul Nielsen on Fri, 2006-03-10 19:55.

When you send an e-mail to single person, or friends you know, it's regarded as private.

"Besides arnt e-mails supposed to be a private affair"

Here i Denmark - unwanted e-mail's are not regarded as private. When a person or company is sending un-wanded e-mails, it's regarded as spam. A I read the story, the person who send the e-mail, didn't know the people who received it. - Then it's not private anymore, but could be regarded as spam...

Apologia Danska?

Submitted by gringoman on Fri, 2006-03-10 17:33.

Apropos of a Danish deed and how the West, especially USA can/will/should/would/could respond: new post at gringoman.com. 'The Dane That Roared'