The farmer probably hadn't thought much of it when he cleared a historic landmark.
According to the British BBC, the farmer who was not mentioned by name wanted to make it easier for himself to drive through with his tractor.
And then the stone had to give way.
However, it also moved the Belgian border by 2.29 meters.
According to the BBC report, a hobby historian noticed the irregularity by chance while taking a walk in the woods.
The stone from 1819 marks the transition from Belgium to France.
“He made Belgium bigger and France smaller.
It's not a good idea, ”said the mayor of Erquelinnes to the French TV channel TF1.
The disputed stone is in the Erquelinnes area.
"I was happy, my city was bigger," David Lavaux joked on.
His colleague on the French side probably liked the action less, said Lavaux.
There is also a statement from this, she too takes it with humor.
"We should be able to prevent a new border conflict," said Mayor Aurélie Welonek of the daily newspaper "La Voix du Nord".
The stone has to be returned - otherwise trouble threatens
In order to find a peaceful solution, the farmer should now immediately return the stone to its ancestral location.
The Belgian mayor said: “If he shows goodwill, he won't get in trouble.
We will amicably put the matter out of the world. "
However, the BBC reports, a refusal could have serious consequences.
Then the Belgian Foreign Ministry would have to step in and revive a Franco-Belgian border commission that has not met since the 1930s.
In the worst case, the farmer could face criminal proceedings, as Mayor Lavaux said.
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