A book by the Dutch businessman Salar Azimi and images published by the daily ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ have put the former Federal Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne at the centre of a new controversy. Mr Azimi’s book says that the then Federal Justice Minister breached his own government’s coronavirus restrictions by attending a private party in his home city of Kortrijk. Photographs published in Friday’s edition of ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ seem to confirm this. Mr Van Quickenborne speaks of "an error of judgement".
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Outrage as former Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne is found to have breached his own corona rules in August 2021
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In his book Mr Azimi writes "The afterparty was held at a beautiful house that belonged to a member of Kortrijk’s high society. Numerous corona rules were still in force, but apparently different rules applied to VIPs and their friends. (...) Everything was put in a different perspective when I later learned that one of those present was the Belgian justice minister."
Salar Azimi is known as one of the participants in the TV programme "The sky is the limit". In his book he describes a private party in Kortrijk one night in August 2021. At the party more people were present than was allowed according to the corona restrictions that were in force at the time.
Meanwhile, Het Laatste Nieuws has also published images of the party. These have been widely since been eagerly shared on social media. In one of the photographs Vincent Van Quickenborne can be seen dancing. However, as Minister of Justice at the time, he was jointly responsible for ensuring that the corona restrictions were upheld.
Exclusive afterparty
August 2021: after months of strict measures to curb the spread of coronavirus freedom beckoned. On 20 August, the Consultative Committee that decided on which measures needed to be in force announced that restrictions on the hospitality industry, as well as on the number of guests at private parties, would be lifted. This would become effective 12 days later, on 1 September.
Two days after the announcement, the Kamping Kitsch Club festival took place in Kortrijk. All those present needed a Covid Safe Ticket, which proved they have been double-vaccinated or have passed a negative coronavirus test. Also present at the festival was the Mayor of Kortrijk and then Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne and the Dutch businessman Salar Azimi who was performing there.
When the festival ended at midnight - in line with the measures that were then in force - both Mr Van Quickenborne and Mr Azimi moved on to a private party at a nearby house. Mr Azimi says that this was an exclusive party with about 30 guests. If they had stayed outside there wouldn’t have been an issue. However, footage shows that the guests continued partying inside the house. At that time, there restriction were in place that allowed a maximum of eight people indoors at private homes.
"An error of judgement"
In a response Mr Van Quickenborne says that "I made an error of judgement. I went to the party to thank the festival organisers. When I arrived, most people were still outside."
"But at one point there were more than eight of us inside. I should have left the room at that point, but I didn't. For that I want to apologise."
Van Quickenborne understands the outcry that has now arisen. "Although I would like to point out that we were in the tail end of the corona crisis and had already decided to relax the measures a few days later."
"Moreover, at the festival there was also the Spoiler Room, where 5,000 people were crammed into a tent. With no face masks and no social distancing. That was possible because they had a Covid Safe Ticket. It shows for me that some rules - especially at the end of the corona crisis - did not always make sense. Sorry for that too," said the former Justice Minister told journalists.