Video Captures Train Conductor’s Racist Remarks to Black Passenger in Belgium

18 October 2019 – byBladi.net · 2 min read

On the night of October 15 to 16, a racist incident pitted a police officer and Joshua, a black Belgian passenger, on a train from Brussels to Liège. In the video of the altercation posted on Twitter, the police officer repeatedly told the young man of Congolese origin to "go back to Kinshasa" if he did not like the way the Belgian system works.

It all started with a train ticket that the 23-year-old man had bought and which was valid, according to him.

"I was returning from London on the evening of October 15. I arrived in Belgium around 10:45 pm. I had a connection to Liège at 10:47 pm at the Midi station," Joshua told the 7sur7.be website, claiming that the ticket was valid for the 16th, i.e. 1 hour and 13 minutes later.

However, despite the validity of the ticket, the conductor demanded that Joshua buy another one. Faced with the young man’s refusal to comply, the Belgian conductor called the train’s security.

"It escalated. I was subjected to racist remarks," laments Joshua. Subsequently, the police officer "repeatedly told Joshua that if he was not happy with the Belgian system, he should go back to Kinshasa," the same source reports. To which the young man replied: "I am Belgian, I grew up here, I have done everything here."

Arrived in Waremme, the conductor and the police officer forced Joshua to get off. At this point, the young man explained the situation to the two police officers who were already waiting for him, but in vain. "He took my ID card. I’m 23 years old. I have no criminal record, I have no problem with the police," Joshua reassured.

Finally, in Waremme, the Belgian of Congolese origin was fined and left to his own devices. He owed his salvation to a relative who helped him get back to Liège.

While the Federal Police Directorate of Brussels has promised an internal investigation, the SNCB, for its part, has remained rather cautious, promising to inquire to understand why "the escort called the police."