Belgian Prime Minister De Croo apologizes for upturned Dutch flag | Interior

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Jan 25, 2023 at 2:20 PMUpdate: 3 minutes ago

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has apologized for a clumsy mistake during a working visit by Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The Dutch flag was hanging upside down, reminiscent of the symbol of the farmers’ protests in the Netherlands. The blunder was noticed on social media.

Rutte was in Brussels to talk to De Croo and then European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about a two-day EU summit. He posed in De Croo’s official residence in front of the Dutch, Belgian and European flag. But the Dutch tricolor hung upside down, just like with the farmers’ protests.

After criticism on social media, De Croo decided to apologize online a day later. In the video, De Croo stands in front of a correctly hung Dutch flag.

“Dear Mark, thank you for the good conversation yesterday! But one more important detail: the Dutch flag is as it should be. See you soon,” the Belgian Prime Minister wrote.

Theo Francken, member of parliament for the New Flemish Alliance in Belgium, lashed out after the blunder. “The Netherlands, our best and most important neighbour. Not even hanging their flag correctly,” he tweeted.

At the two-day EU summit with the 27 heads of government and state at the beginning of next month, the influx of asylum seekers, but also the European economy, industry and competitiveness are high on the agenda.

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Image: Twitter @alexanderdecroo

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