French-speaking woman calls emergency services to help injured man in Sonian Forest, but is only allowed to speak Dutch

by Mofaluna

31 comments

  1. Bruh, even when I’m calling in Mons they give me a language option. What happened to the language laws?

  2. A few years ago a Portuguese speaker, a tourist, had lodged a complaint because 112 wouldn’t answer him in English and repeatedly hung up on him asking that he speak Dutch.

    He had written about this on here but I don’t know if the complaint got anywhere.

    As someone who was a first responder, not on ambulances but still, I can’t imagine deciding to work or volunteer in such services and being so rigid. The aim is to help. Or isn’t it?

  3. > “Een Vlaamse 112-alarmcentrale heeft het Nederlands als administratieve taal. Het is dus normaal dat de operator de beller in het Nederlands te woord staat”, zegt Dermaux.

    So now tourists and expats are not allowed to call the emergency services anymore in dunghill flanders?

  4. That’s why N-VA/VB (same thing) voters and members shouldn’t be allowed to work for emergency services.

  5. Someone tell me right now where to send angry emails and calls to, unacceptable!

  7. I’m all for protecting our language, but this is criminal behaviour.

  9. The operator chooses to speak Dutch. It’s pure civil service mentality.

  11. I have had a similar thing happen in Germany. I had to call the firemen on 112 in German as another person, a fellow campus student, called in English and they hung up on him.

    Unfortunately it doesn’t happen only here but it’s absolutely infuriating when it does – I really hope they trace the call and kick this person out for good.

  12. The person picking up the emergency call is morally responsible to try and help, they should be held accountable for stupid stunts like this one. Can you imagine how this woman must have felt? The stress of finding an injured person who had lost consciousness only to have some bastard on the line who is apparently okay with risking a person’s life to “make a point”! I’ve seen better service at Mac Donald’s!

  13. Is this another great NVA invention to cull the non Dutch speaking population? Speak French and you’ll just have to die?

  14. They normally transfer people to another 112 station, Liège can for example transfer to someone in Hasselt if they have nobody on site who speaks Dutch. That person in the other center will help with the translations. Namur tends to call Brussels when in need, etc. The person who has handled this call is really committing criminal negligence.

  15. Guess what the result would be with the languages reversed.

  16. I feel bad for that poor Flemish person persecuted by that awful woman calling emergency in her own language to try to help someone else. I hope they can recover from this.

  17. I worked for telenet helpdesk for a month. Telenet only available in Flanders so noone asked if we spoke French.. But after a month, i knew most technical terms in French just because i had to help some French speakers.
    So it’s not a matter of ability, it’s not wanting to help. Or maybe some rule saying to let them die if they don’t speak Dutch. Some helpdesk.

  18. Let me give you a possible other scenario: The lady calls 112 and the person picking up does not speak French. They ask the caller if they perhaps speak Dutch. The lady immediately throws a hissy fit as she cannot speak to someone in French.

    What is peculiar is that she apparently was able to understand “We zijn een Vlaamse instantie”. She must have been able to understand some Dutch.

  20. The audacity!! A long time ago, when we had just arrived in Belgium, my husband had to go to an emergency room and even though we live in Wallonia, the closest one was in Vlaanderen. The lady at the entrance desk (of course , shitty behaviour always comes from the bottom of the pack!) refused to speak french or english with him, telling him that in vlaanderen he must speak flemish.
    Well, I wrote a complaint to the director and received an email asking for the most sincere apologies, stating that they would always receive everyone in their hospital, no matter the language, race or religion.
    We are just a regular white atheist European couple, so I can imagine what others go through daily!

  21. As a foreigner. The language gatekeeping happening in Flanders is despicable.

    To get your Visa, go to city hall. Get to city hall and they refuse to help you because you can’t speak Dutch, explain this to them and they say take a course, problem is without a visa you aren’t permitted to do so.

    It’s fucking gross behaviour and it’s straight up racism on Belgum’s part, according to my Husband these rules didn’t exist before he was in Canada for 2 years, they were apparently put in place because the Flemish people don’t want to deal with refugees anymore

  22. The worst thing is when someone can perfectly use French or English, but they stick to Dutch, no matter the context and the consequences.

  23. I wonder how people, who think this is fine, would react if emergency operators abroad only responded in their native language when they are on vacation and have an emergency.

  24. Ive had the reverse happen in my family. The woman on the emergency line only spoke French and my grandmother was so panicked she only could speak in Dutch. Luckily my grandad saved the day but still. You should be helped regardless of the language

  26. Vive la Belgique, the land of absurdity because of far-right extremists who keep on winning with hate and fear as their bread and butter.

  27. I reported a seemingly drugged (well-dressed but passing out over a wall) dude and the police accepted my report in English.

    Of course I have no idea if they actually acted on my call, but I did my share of the duty.

  29. Wtf!!! Some people just love being a complete d*ck!!

    They should also ban all foreigner music radio stations that play English music—especially the 80s and 90s hits. Only French or Dutch music should be played, depending on the region. This is essential if they truly want to protect the language and ensure everyone learns Dutch or French.

  30. Flemish stubbornness in situations that cry out for pragmatism.

  31. This is what Dutch speaking citizens are experiencing when accessing public, including emergency, services in Brussels for literally decades.

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