Users on social media on Thursday swarmed on remarks made by Interior Minister Jan Jambon who went after Walloons for taking advantage of Flemish "money transfers.
"Flanders transfers millions to Wallonia," Jambon claimed, and, citing unemployment figures in the region, added that this kept "too many" Walloons out of work.
Jambon, a member of the nationalist Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) party and a candidate for the country's premiership in the upcoming federal elections, made the remarks on Tuesday at a debate organised by news magazine Knack.
In his original remarks in Dutch, the N-VA candidate employed a hammock analogy to illustrate his comments.
"Flanders transfers millions to Wallonia, which keeps too many Walloons in their hammocks," Jambon said.
Since then, users on social media have been sharing their take on the minister's comments.
"@JeanJambon wants to become Prime Minister of a country (...) and deal with populations that he despises," according to one Twitter who said he had "written out the Tweet while in his hammock."
Other users received the minister's comment with a humorous note.
"Hi Jan Jambon," another user wrote. "I never received my hammock. Where could I get one?"
It is not the first time a member of the NV-A party has criticised Wallonia. In 2010 party leader Bart De Wever compared Walloons to drug addicts, declaring that "Flemish money should not be for Walloons what drugs are to a junkie."
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
