The Aalst Carnival has a controversial history of being racist and anti-Semitic. In light of the upcoming carnival, Belgium's green parties (Ecolo-Groen) challenged the carnival's traditions by posing a Parliamentary question, to which Aalst's mayor took a major offence. The Ecolo party has since withdrawn its question.
MP Simon Moutquin of Ecolo-Groen submitted a parliamentary question asking whether or not "appropriate measures" would be taken in the event that racist or anti-Semitic issues arise during the carnival.
"Our freedom of speech is difficult to touch, this is a crazy and very misplaced question," said Aalst mayor Christoph D'Haese in response to the question.
During previous editions of the Carnival, controversial floats and figures depicting Orthodox Jews in a stereotypical way, with carnival-goers donning oversized shtreimels, fake masks and hooked noses as well as dangling, chest-length sideburns. In 2020, a group of attendants drew specific criticism after showing up to the parade dressed as ants, with large shtreimels crowning their full-body insect suits.
'Sign of political weakness'
Now, Ecolo-Groen says that the question was misinterpreted and that no arrests or bans were to be made. The party's group leader, Gilles Vanden Burre, explained that racism and anti-Semitism are sensitive issues for their group. "A few years ago there was a major social discussion about Aalst Carnival," he said.
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The mayor of Aalst did not take kindly to Ecolo calling the question a misinterpretation. "I actually saw the question and it is formulated in no uncertain terms. Now to say that it has been misinterpreted, I see that as a sign of political weakness," D'Haese told VRT.
Vanden Burre insisted that his party's question was meant to ask what proactive measures are being taken by the government to prevent possible issues from occurring at this year's carnival. The Ecolo party hopes to have a constructive dialogue moving forward to come to a mutual understanding that the stereotypes are damaging to society.
According to VRT, the political party would like to "discuss the theme further with the various social parties, without a parliamentary question."
Aalst Carnival takes place every year in the Flanders city of Aalst and has had issues regarding race and anti-Semitism before, resulting in it being removed from the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019. "Condemning the racist and anti-Semitic nature of some representation at the Aalst Carnival in Belgium that go against the values of respect and dignity embodied in UNESCO," as inscribed in the document from the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
