Wednesday, March 21, 2007

600 wed in anti-racist furore

More than 600 Belgian couples have gathered to tie the knot, both out of love and as a gesture against small-town racism.

The focus of some discord in the village of Saint Niklaas has been a black town councillor.

Three couples in the town announced they would not get married when they found out Councillor Wouter Van Bellingen was listed to officiate, objecting to his colour.

The councillor was adopted from birth in Rwanda and brought up a Belgian.

The Mayor ruled no other official would marry the three couples, but hundreds of couples of different colours from several European countries signed up asking for Councillor Van Bellingen.

So they had to be married together and crowded into the town square.

The weather though was unobliging, with some late winter hail driving people indoors for the ceremony.

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