Hicham Talhi, the Vice-President and MP of the Brussels Parliament, has apologised after attacking an Uber driver on Saturday.
The incident occurred when an Uber driver with a Wallonia number plate picked up a passenger on his way to Tomorrowland. The driver was surprised, however, by the Ecolo politician Hicham Talhi knocking on his car window, alleging that he could not operate in Brussels because of his licence plate.
As the conversation between both men became heated, the driver took out his phone to record the altercation. Talhi allegedly snatched the phone off him, twisting his hand in the process.
As a result, the driver went to see a doctor, who awarded him a 15-day work incapacity certificate, and he has since filed a police complaint.
Hicham Talhi has since apologised in a statement that was read by Le Soir. He attempted to explain his actions by stating that he was reminding the driver of the legislation that he was violating and was trying to express his opposition to being filmed.
He also said that he regretted his behaviour which he deemed to be 'aggressive' and he failed to demonstrated the exemplarity that MPs have to abide by.
Political reactions
Talhi's party, the French-speaking Ecolo, has said that he will not be sanctioned. A spokesperson for the green party told Sudinfo that, "it was crucial that he apologised since we do not allow such behaviour, but at this moment, we will leave it there."
Other politicians, however, have expressed their displeasure with Talhi, with Georges-Louis Bouchez, Leader of MR, the Francophone liberal party, denouncing his actions in a tweet.
[embed]https://twitter.com/GLBouchez/status/1551916092548947968?s=20&t=PGyR4nDwzbVQOpxBft-9lA[/embed]
Translation of tweet: “And to think that this man is a Brussels representative... Which such behaviour, how can we expect effective and relevant administration? Decency would lead to sanctions. But decency is a relative concept for some... ”
