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SHOUTS FROM THE LAW STREET

Anyone who slips in the Wetstraat or ends up in the rumor mill will sooner or later end up in this section.

Cynical (1)

Antwerp N-VA councilor Els van Doesburg has lived in Belgium since she was eleven, but still has dual nationality and is therefore still allowed to vote in the Netherlands. She also used this during the Dutch House of Representatives elections in November, she says in Gazet van Antwerpen. “I voted for a very good friend of mine who was on Pieter Omtzigt’s list. That is one of my best friends with whom I have a lot in common ideologically.”

Photoshop (1)

On a tractor, in a potato field, in the greenhouses or among the beets. In recent weeks, one politician after another had a photo ready in the farmers’ fields to express their appreciation for the farmers’ protests. Only Open VLD minister Gwendolyn Rutten apparently was beaten a bit for speed. After the agreement with the farmers, the party thought nothing better than to take to Instagram with a photoshopped photo of Rutten with bones in a field. Or was it generated by AI? Anyway, that could be better.

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Cynical (2)

Gazet van Antwerpen wanted to know from Van Doesburg whether there is a big difference in how Flemish and Dutch people view politics. “Flemish people are affected by the trauma of endless government negotiations. I understand that that makes them cynical,” she says. According to her, Flemish people should also be a bit more proud. “That chauvinism is more self-evident among the Dutch. People ask me: ‘But what is it, being Flemish?’ Well: that question. That is typically Flemish. You don’t hear that anywhere else in the world. As a newcomer, I found that very striking.”

Photoshop (2)

On Instagram, Open VLD immediately received some negative comments on Rutten’s photo. “Who in the communications department thought this terrible AI photo was a good idea?”, among other things. Or was it photoshopped? In the comments below the photo, the communications department at party headquarters solves the mystery with a wink. “It’s AI. It is not only our farmers who embrace innovative techniques. We dare to do that too.”

Cynical (3)

“Even though I am very Flemish, people still find my style of communication very direct,” says Van Doesburg in Gazet van Antwerpen. “Bart (De Wever, ed.) sometimes finds that rude. I can’t make it any less than this. I’m no longer flashy orange, more pastel. But I’m not going gray.” Yet she does make some adjustments, such as when she leaves something she doesn’t like at a restaurant. “’Was it tasty?’ the waitress then asks. And I say, ‘Yes, yes.’ She knows I’m lying. I know she knows I’m lying. But no one has to say that, how wonderful is that. This is different in the Netherlands.”