In Brussels, a metro driver fired for broadcasting a pro-Palestinian message

A metro driver from STIB (Brussels intercommunal transport company) was fired for delivering a pro-Palestinian message to his passengers, reports the Belgian daily La Capitale.

The events took place on October 13, a few days after the deadly attack by the Islamist organization Hamas on Israel, which left more than 1,400 dead. The driver failed to serve a stop on lines 2 and 6 on two occasions, taking the opportunity to deliver a message defending the Palestinian cause to the passengers on his train.

Still 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 as a sign of protest.

This decision caused an outcry in Belgium: several travelers reportedly announced they were filing a complaint, while others reported the facts on social networks. The driver was fired by the transport company as soon as his service ended.

The company justified this dismissal by violating internal rules regarding metro operation, 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, says the company.

The driver ultimately preferred to resign on his own.