Belgian presenter reacts to racial insults and comments
Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:31:am World
3.2K By Obiaks Blog
A weather presenter on a Belgian public TV, says she has had enough of the continuous racist comments and insults she receives.
Cécile Djunga, who works for RTBF for one year, made the remarks in a five-minute video on her Facebook page, citing an instance when a female viewer called her office to make complaint she was "too black and all people could see were my clothes".
In the video, - which has since gone viral with over 600,000 views - Djunga started off by saying "if you want a good laugh, I've got a good one for you today", before going on to talk about the woman who called in to say she was "too black" explaining that the call proved to be the final straw for her.
Close to tears and visibly angry, she said "It doesn't stop. I've been doing this job for a year and I'm fed up of getting tonnes of racist and insulting messages... It hurts because I'm a human being."
She added that some of the messages had used racist remarks, telling her "go back to your country".
Speaking on Belgian TV late on Wednesday evening, Djunga said she chose to speak out because too many Belgians believed that racism did not exist there and that it was important to broaden the debate about racism and not focus just on her.
Her decision to go public has received support from with Belgian footballer Christian Kabasele, who plays for Watford in the English Premier League, praising her on Twitter.
It has also drawn a political response in Belgium as senior members of the Walloon government urging the media to promote equality and diversity.
Her employers, RTBF, has also has given their full support to its presenter. Its head, Jean-Paul Philippot, told Belgian radio on Thursday that Ms Djunga had passed on a string of messages she had received in recent months and had not reacted to them.
"There's no place for this torrent of mud in Belgium," he said. "Racism is a crime, punishable by law."
Ms Djunga who also doubles as a stand-up comic with a show called Almost Famous said she is proposing a campaign to rat on racists, a play on an existing anti-sexual harassment campaign "rat on your pig" (balance ton porc).
"I am Belgian and now they're going to stop telling me to go back to my country. Because this is my country," she said.
Cécile Djunga, who works for RTBF for one year, made the remarks in a five-minute video on her Facebook page, citing an instance when a female viewer called her office to make complaint she was "too black and all people could see were my clothes".
In the video, - which has since gone viral with over 600,000 views - Djunga started off by saying "if you want a good laugh, I've got a good one for you today", before going on to talk about the woman who called in to say she was "too black" explaining that the call proved to be the final straw for her.
Close to tears and visibly angry, she said "It doesn't stop. I've been doing this job for a year and I'm fed up of getting tonnes of racist and insulting messages... It hurts because I'm a human being."
She added that some of the messages had used racist remarks, telling her "go back to your country".
Speaking on Belgian TV late on Wednesday evening, Djunga said she chose to speak out because too many Belgians believed that racism did not exist there and that it was important to broaden the debate about racism and not focus just on her.
Her decision to go public has received support from with Belgian footballer Christian Kabasele, who plays for Watford in the English Premier League, praising her on Twitter.
It has also drawn a political response in Belgium as senior members of the Walloon government urging the media to promote equality and diversity.
Her employers, RTBF, has also has given their full support to its presenter. Its head, Jean-Paul Philippot, told Belgian radio on Thursday that Ms Djunga had passed on a string of messages she had received in recent months and had not reacted to them.
"There's no place for this torrent of mud in Belgium," he said. "Racism is a crime, punishable by law."
Ms Djunga who also doubles as a stand-up comic with a show called Almost Famous said she is proposing a campaign to rat on racists, a play on an existing anti-sexual harassment campaign "rat on your pig" (balance ton porc).
"I am Belgian and now they're going to stop telling me to go back to my country. Because this is my country," she said.
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