'Neutral poster' for shops aims to calm election advertising frenzy

With Brussels’ municipal elections, on 13 October, fast approaching, debate continues on how to advertise the various parties' and candidates' merits.

Many businesses feel pressured by politicians to accept election posters gracing their shopfronts.

One Brussels municipality, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, has found a way to help. It has introduced a "neutral" poster that shopkeepers can choose to place in their window.

The poster reads: “To preserve the peace and neutrality of our business, we do not accept election posters.”

This is a less drastic measure than that taken by communes including Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and Saint-Gilles to ban the hanging of election posters outright in shop windows. The ban was successfully contested by the local Socialist party politicians.

Now, outgoing local government minister Bernard Clerfayt has insisted, citing freedom of expression, that municipalities cannot dictate to shopkeepers whether or not they could put up election posters.

Berchem-Sainte-Agathe welcomed this decision and hopes the neutral poster will help.

“I put up the poster of a politician who kindly asked me to do so, but I got a lot of comments,” one newsagent told Bruzz. “There were even mini-conflicts between supporters of different parties, so now I prefer to remain neutral.”