A multi-meter racist banner discovered along the E40 highway in Drongen, Belgium, has been removed by police following a public outcry, according to local authorities and media reports. The banner, bearing the Dutch phrase translating to “all brown men to the back,” emerged after a series of controversial on-stage statements by Dutch artist Sophie Straat at music festivals in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Police Remove Racist Banner Along Belgian E40 Highway
The banner hung from a building site alongside the E40 in Drongen, located in the East Flanders municipality of Ghent, before law enforcement removed it. Acting Mayor of Ghent Hafsa El-Bazioui stated in the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws that she contacted the project developer immediately after viewing images of the sign. According to El-Bazioui, the developer expressed shock because construction work at the site was paused during the building holiday.
Benhaddou characterized the message as straightforward racism, stating that a multi-meter racist banner requires multiple individuals to erect and does not belong in society.
Tracing the Controversy Back to Sophie Straat Festival Remarks
The banner’s wording closely mirrors remarks made by Dutch artist Sophie Straat during live festival performances. In June, Straat faced widespread criticism after shouting that “white men to the back” at the end of her set during the Best Kept Secret festival while announcing a moshpit.
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Artist Sophie Straat stated on Instagram that her festival comments aimed to create safe space for women, queer individuals, and people of color, rather than to exclude attendees. She subsequently reported receiving a wave of sexist and antisemitic hate messages and (death) threats.
Straat repeated the phrase during a subsequent performance at the Gentse Feesten, telling the audience that there was no longer time for nuance and calling for white men to move to the back to make space for marginalized groups. When addressing the fallout, Benhaddou argued that the incident illustrates the dangers of identity politics, warning that reducing individuals to their skin color or ethnic origin inevitably paves the way for exclusionary slogans.
Legal Evaluation and Free Speech Protections in Belgium and the Netherlands
Official responses to the artist’s original remarks varied across national jurisdictions. Dutch anti-discrimination reporting centers concluded that Straat’s comments did not constitute discrimination because the call applied solely to a single, temporary moshpit rather than denying concertgoers entry to the venue as a whole.
Meanwhile, the Belgian equality center Unia received hundreds of reports following the Gentse Feesten performance. Unia acknowledged that numerous individuals found the remarks hurtful, stigmatizing, or polarizing. However, the organization stated that Straat delivered the line at the conclusion of an artistic performance carrying a political message intended to highlight structural inequality. Under Belgian legal frameworks, Unia noted that artistic and political expressions receive broad protection under freedom of speech principles, even when those expressions provoke, shock, or offend, though the center emphasized that only a court can issue a final legal judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who removed the racist banner in Drongen?
Local police removed the banner from a building site along the E40 highway in Drongen, Belgium, after university diversity expert Khalid Benhaddou brought the situation to public attention.
What triggered the creation of the banner?
The banner’s phrasing references controversial remarks made by Dutch artist Sophie Straat, who told white festival attendees to move to the back during moshpits at the Best Kept Secret festival and the Gentse Feesten.
Did official agencies investigate the artist’s statements?
Yes. Dutch anti-discrimination centers ruled the comments non-discriminatory as they applied only to a temporary moshpit. In Belgium, equality center Unia received hundreds of complaints but noted that artistic expression enjoys strong protections under freedom of speech laws.
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