Belgian conductor faces backlash over bilingual greeting in strict Dutch-speaking town
Strict language laws got this Belgian conductor into trouble.
Passengers wait for their train departures on the platform at the Bordeaux-Saint-Jean train station in Bordeaux, western France, on 26 July 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Picture: AFP
702’s Bongani Bingwa catches up on the latest world news with Adam Gilchrist.
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A complaint against a Belgian train conductor who greeted passengers with: "Goeiedag, bonjour" (Dutch and French) has been upheld.
The complaint was filed in 2024 by a passenger in the Dutch-speaking town of Flanders, which has strict language laws.
The passenger claimed the train was in Flanders, while the conductor said the train was approaching Vilvorde, on the outskirts of Brussels, which is officially bilingual.
“Absolutely clear as anything isn’t it?... it does sound rather petty.”
– Adam Gilchrist, World View correspondent
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