Flemish Secession hoax
Tout ça (ne nous rendra pas la Belgique) or Bye Bye Belgium, also called "The Flemish Secession Hoax," was a
Interviews with prominent Belgian politicians (some of whom had been informed about the hoax) as well as staged footage of the evacuation of the royal family as well as cheering crowds holding the Flag of Flanders were included so as to add credence to the news report.
The broadcast of the report led to widespread alarm and consternation in French-speaking Belgium. A hotline set up by the station was swamped by 2,600 calls, whilst RTBF's website crashed. Thirty minutes into the broadcast, on demand of the media minister of the French-speaking community in Belgium, Fadila Laanan , an on-screen message identified it as fiction.
The hoax was the creation of the journalist
Prominent Belgian politicians, including
See also
- Partition of Belgium
References
- ^ "Viewers fooled by 'Belgium split'". 14 December 2006 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Belgian viewers fall for TV hoax announcing breakaway state". Archived from the original on 12 March 2007.
External links
- BBC news report
- Belgian viewers fall for TV hoax announcing breakaway state, International Herald Tribune article documenting the hoax.
- RTBF's website (in French).