Naïma Amzil is a Flemish laborer of Moroccan origin who came to the news in autumn 2004 and spring 2005 following a series of threat and bulletins against wearing a headscarf. She eventually terminated temporary resignation. The case got a lot of media attention at the time. The case
Amzil worked as a laborer at the fish delicatessen company NV Remmery in Ledegem. From 22 November 2004 to 2 March 2005 she received eight letters of threat via the mail. Each letter contained bullets and was threatened with death if she would continue to work with a headscarf. Over time, her director, Rik Vannieuwenhuyse, was also threatened. Nevertheless, Vannieuwenhuyse refused to dismiss her. The seventh letter threatened to poison the products with mercury. Because the threats did not diminish, even when she was working without a headscarf and fearing the life of Vannieuwenhuyse and his family, she resigned on 2 March 2005.
The media received a lot of media attention, especially because the perpetrators were unidentifiable for a long time. Each letter had the initials N.V.R. ("New Free Flanders") and was signed with the hiding name "Jack Ruby". The perpetrators should come from the extreme right-hand corner.
On January 12, 2005, Vannieuwenhuyse and Amzil were received at the royal palace. Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Flemish Prime Minister Yves Leterme showed their solidarity for Amzil and a support campaign was held on 26 March. On April 19th, King Albert II of Belgium and Queen Paola visited the company, on the same day that Amzil re-started. The extreme right-wing organizations Voorpost and NSV then held a protest for the doors of the company and a new threat letter was sent. The self-government organization Unizo collected votes for Amzil's return. At the end of April, she finally returned to work for the company.
On May 3, 2005, DNA was found on one of the letters corresponding to the spouse of a colleague of Amzil. However, other unknown DNA was found on the same letter. The police suspected that the colleague was out of jealousy against Amzil because she was transferred from the packet to the kitchen department. However, on June 18, 2005, the link was released again because there were insufficiently compensating elements. Finally, the investigation was completed without finding a perpetrator. In 2005, the readers of the magazine Knack Naïma Amelia chose "Man of the Year". Aftermath
The case had a negative impact on the "NV Remmery". Vannieuwenhuyse struggled with so much stress throughout the affair and media attention that he decided to sell the company in November 2005. In 2007, the man published a book about the events, "The Remmery Case", with the aim of helping out all the misunderstandings about the world. More information
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