Ledegem 15 years after threatening letters to the address of Rik Remmery – Vannieuwenhuyse (66) him world-famous made, but at the same time, his world did collapse, he is more than ever back. Recently, he is active in his beloved delicatessenbranche and, moreover, he started an action against the circumcision of boys. A conversation about the past, present and future.
Rik Remmery had for each other. The former policeman started in 1987 and the delicatessenbedrijf NV Remmery in Ledegem. What was initially a big risk seemed to be, grew up to be a success story: Remmery had 60 employees and its products were a hit in Europe. But when Rik on november 22, 2004, the letterbox opened, contained a letter which his life upside down would turn. In a span of thick three months received Remmery eight threatening letters. The anonymous writer demanded the resignation of Naïma Amzil, a woman of Moroccan descent, who, since 1997, in Remmery’s company worked on the shop floor, headscarf wearing. Rik refused and the situation escalated. The letters were death threats, bullets included, and there was even threatened to the products of the NV Remmery to poison with mercury. But Remmery loved guns. Amzil stayed with him for work. That earned him support from many different corners, even from the royal family.
All is lost
Eventually there was in this matter no one condemned. “But the consequences for the NV Remmery were brutal and we were forced to sell everything. We were rich, but all of the sudden lost everything,” says Rik. “We saw black snow, went through a very difficult period. Something what I nobody’s children.”
