A metro driver for the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB) has been fired for delivering a pro-Palestinian message to his passengers, reports the Belgian daily La Capitale.
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The incident took place on October 13, a few days after the deadly attack on Israel by the Islamist organization Hamas, which killed more than 1400,2 people. The driver did not stop on lines 6 and <> on two occasions, taking the opportunity to deliver a message defending the Palestinian cause to the passengers of his train.
Outcry in Belgium
According to La Capitale, the driver explained that it was "illegal" to move more than a million Gazans. As a result, he explained that he refused to stop at the "Trône" station in protest.
This decision caused an uproar in Belgium: several travellers reportedly announced that they were filing a complaint, while others reported the facts on social networks. The driver was dismissed by the transport company as soon as his shift ended.
The company justified this dismissal by the violation of the internal rules on the operation of the metro, since the driver kept the doors of his train closed at the Trône stop. Another reason for dismissal: non-compliance with the principle of neutrality at work, whether political, philosophical or religious, according to the company.
In the end, the driver decided to resign on his own.