A video has surfaced in which MR party leader Georges-Louis Bouchez and his girlfriend Lucie Demaret are involved in a fierce discussion with cyclists in the coastal town of Knokke.
The incident, which reportedly took place on Saturday, shows Bouchez get pushed although he does not push back. However, the Walloon MP's girlfriend loses her temper and shouts "dirty Flemish". In her defence, Bouchez stated that this was her retort to insults of "dirty Walloons" before angered cyclists told the couple to "go back to Wallonia."
Visibly vexed, Bouchez is pictured questioning a cyclist about what the problem is. The man in question (considerably larger than Bouchez) then firmly pushes the politician whilst Demaret continues to argue. After the pair gets back into their BMW the group of young people that captured the fracas on their mobiles burst into laughter.
The cause of the dispute is unclear from the video but Bouchez has stated that he heard a loud knock on the back of his car, initially making him think that a cyclist had ridden into the vehicle. "I got out to see what had happened. A woman made an angry gesture and kept riding."
Bouchez explains that he ran after the lady to find out what happened but was then was approached by her partner, who gave him a strong shove. Bouchez warns that he will call the police, though did not in the end. “I know that I have to remain calm as a politician in such a situation."
Très mauvais moment pour Georges-Louis Bouchez et Lucie Demaret#Bouchez https://t.co/b0zsUncvTN
— RTL info (@rtlinfo) June 25, 2023
In comments made after the event, Bouchez described their antagonists as "very rude" though sought to play down the regional differences that marked the confrontation: "They shouted that we were dirty Walloons and should go back to Wallonia. Instinctively [my girlfriend] called back the same thing. She doesn't mean it of course, we both like to visit Flanders and often.”
The minister stressed that he remained calm, adding "That's hard, not reacting when you're called names." He sought to defend his girlfriend's reaction and said "I hope people leave her alone on social media. Frankly, it saddens me that this will now be picked up everywhere again.”
