Retailers mock Mayeur's 'Brussels project'

Shopkeepers in Brussels city centre with a book on display titled Mon projet pour Bruxelles (My Brussels Project), supposedly written by mayor Yvan Mayeur, are taking part in a satirical protest, writes La Libre Belgique. A quick browse through the book will tell readers it is a joke, as all the pages are blank.

The participating shopkeepers saw a drop in revenue after the introduction of the pedestrian zone in the heart of the city in 2015, and many still point the blame at the mayor.

"It was a Frenchman who started sharing these (anti-Mayeur) stickers because he found the way the pedestrian zone was introduced undemocratic," explains Hassan Kessas (pictured), one of the spokespersons of the opposition to the pedestrian zone. "When the same man came around to several retailers with the book, we thought, 'that's a good one'. Yvan Mayeur never campaigned, nor defended any political projects. Even the pedestrian area was poorly explained to the public and the press."

Last week, a new application for planning permission for the redevelopment of the pedestrian zone was submitted by Beliris. Retailers are expected to submit another complaint with the Council of State.