“More than an apology is needed”: Van Quickenborne before a parliamentary committee
“These apologies are a first step in restoring credibility, but it will not be enough,” said Ahmed Laaouej of PS.
“Further steps are needed to show that you have the deepest respect for the police.”
“I’m only human”
Van Quickenborne began the session with an extensive chronology of the evening of his birthday party. He did this based on the images from his surveillance camera.
“I don’t think there are many people who would like to share images of the end of a birthday party,” he said. “At such a moment people like to drink a pint and I’m only human.”
As a result of the alcohol consumed, but also due to the fact that the night in question was three weeks ago, the minister says he no longer has any memory of the gesture that graced all the front pages on Wednesday.
“According to some, that would be a peeing gesture,” said Van Quickenborne. “The person I was escorting out at the time thought it was an air guitar solo. I admit, I play air guitar occasionally. I’m a fan of metal music and we had just been to the Alcatraz festival that weekend. Could be, I really don’t know.
In any case, what I don’t see in the images is that I walk to the combination and pretend that I am going to pee on it.”
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Opposition critical
After the explanation, the opposition questioned whether the minister can continue to function. Christoph D’Haese of N-VA gave the Open VLD member, as a fellow mayor, a sermon about the crucial cooperation with the local police.
“You no longer radiate the serenity that is expected of you,” he noted.
Coalition partners keep it civil
The coalition partners kept it polite, but made it clear that the apology, which the minister clearly expressed for the first time on Thursday, will not be enough.
“What worries my group is your relationship as minister with the police unions,” said Stefaan Van Hecke of Groen. “It has been clouded for a long time. I think work will have to be done to restore that trust, which has certainly been broken at some level.”
The same voice at CD&V: “The only thing we ask today is respect for the efforts of the local police,” said Franky Demon from Bruges. “What will you do to restore that bond of trust?”
According to Ahmed Laaouej, the image of our state at national and international level has been damaged. “There will certainly be some things that need to be fixed.”