A passenger wearing a headscarf was verbally abused by a De Lijn bus driver in Antwerp, who told her to "take off your headscarf, we are in Belgium."
The incident occurred at around 15:00 on Tuesday and was recorded by singer-songwriter Morane Miangue (24), who posted the video on TikTok.
"Passengers were exiting the bus from the front, and it didn’t seem to be a problem," Miangue told Gazet van Antwerpen. "But when a woman wearing a headscarf made to get off at the front, the driver refused to open the door. She then shouted, 'Take off your headscarf, we are in Belgium.' When the woman had gone, the driver still acted like she was about to hit her."
A screenshot of the TikTok video in question.
The bus service is aware of the incident and says it will "take appropriate measures" once it identifies the employee. The identity of the woman who suffered the abuse is unknown too.
"De Lijn attaches great importance to diversity and respect, and we expect all our employees to treat passengers and colleagues with respect at all times," spokesperson Marco Demerling stated.
This is the fourth incident in recent weeks where social media has highlighted incidents of misconduct aboard De Lijn’s services. A 19-year-old woman reported suffering verbal abuse from a driver who claimed they had to stop multiple times for her.
Another driver was accused of leaving two young girls on the emergency lane of the E40, and in a separate case, the parents of a 14-year-old girl filed a complaint when the bus driver dropped her off in Tervuren when no-one else was there.
The company says it is conducting separate investigations into each case.
