King to visit firm at centre of death threat saga

14 March 2005

BRUSSELS – Belgium’s King Albert II is to visit the company at the centre of a saga involving death threats from Flemish racists, it emerged on Monday.

In January, the monarch invited boss the firm’s Rik Vannieuwenhuyse and his worker Naima Amzil to the palace to give them his moral support.

Since November, Vannieuwenhuyse, who runs the company, called Remmery, in Ledegem in Flanders, has been receiving letters from the group ‘Nieuw Vrij Vlaanderen’ demanding he sack Amzil for wearing a Muslim headscarf.

The death threats have continued despite Amzil’s decision to remove her headscarf and have included two letters containing bullets.

King Albert now intends to visit Remmery’s headquarters on 19 April.

The announcement of his visit comes after police investigating the threats took the digital prints of all Remmery’s workers and their partners and family members over 16.

The police are looking for a match to a fingerprint found on one of the letters sent to the company.

Amzil, who resigned her job earlier this month saying the pressure had become too much, is currently on holiday in Morocco to take a break from the situation.

Vannieuwenhuyse has not accepted her resignation, stating he considers it to be an indefinite holiday until she can return to work.

Subject: Belgian news