Brussels MP and Team Fouad Ahidar party leader, Fouad Ahidar, lashed out at animal rights group GAIA for its latest campaign tactics.
In the GAIA campaign ‘Capital of Shame’, the Brussels flag was modified by placing a sheep with a tear in the white heart of the iris.
The campaign aimed to address the issue of animal slaughter without any form of anaesthesia, which has not been banned in the Brussels Region.
In addition, 340,000 flyers were distributed bearing the image of outgoing Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort as a symbol of the political class's inertia on the issue.
In a statement, GAIA welcomed a call by the party N-VA to pass legislation banning this type of animal slaughter in Brussels.
In a committee on Wednesday, Groen, DéFI, and Ecolo requested that the Animal Welfare Code finally be placed on the agenda of the Brussels Parliament. Among other things, this code includes a ban on slaughter without any form of anaesthesia.
"Animal welfare is a noble and universal cause that I fully support," Fouad Ahidar emphasised on Thursday. "But it must not be distorted by shocking, disrespectful and deceitful methods. Citizens deserve a clear, transparent and democratic debate, not manipulations that insult our collective symbols."
For Ahidar, GAIA has crossed a red line "by appropriating the identity of [outgoing] Minister-President Rudi Vervoort and misusing the image of the flag of the Brussels-Capital Region - the official emblem and symbol of all Brussels residents."
Fouad Ahidar wants to question the Minister-President in committee about his response to these practices.
"I hope that the Region will file a complaint, because this is simply a matter of defending the dignity of our institutions," said Ahidar, who at the time voted against a ban on unanesthetised slaughter in the Brussels Region in the Brussels Parliament.
