Petitioners to fight commemorative bust for Yvan Mayeur

Every mayor of Brussels has been immortalised with a bust in the staircase of City Hall since the tradition started in 1830, but a new petition making the rounds aims to prevent the city's most recent mayor, Yvan Mayeur, from being included. Mayeur was forced to resign in the wake of the Samusocial scandal which found him guilty of receiving suspect payments from the homeless agency.

Nearly 5,500 people so far have signed the petition against the creation of a bust of Mayeur. The petitioners demand that City Council not give its approval for the sculpture. It should instead give the money intended for the bust to non-governmental organisations, according to the petitioners.

The last marble bust, of Mayeur's predecessor, Freddy Thielemans, cost €67,000.