When ignorance about breastfeeding coincides with an irrational fear of terrorists, what do you get?
A very nasty scene at a ritzy New York Country Club, that’s what!
This is exactly what Belgian diplomat Tom Neijens and his wife Roseline Remans discovered when they stopped by the Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, New York on June 8, 2013 and inquired about having lunch.
Club employees permitted the family to dine on the terrace despite the fact that they weren’t members, whereupon Remans began to discreetly breastfeed her daughter Luka at the table.
Neijens, first secretary of the Belgium Mission to the UN, told the New York Post that a female employee of the club quickly interrupted Roseline’s perfectly legal and proper feeding of her baby with this sharp rebuke:
“Please leave immediately, you are disturbing the members!”
When Neijens protested and said it would only take a few minutes, the female staffer insisted that Remans finish in the restroom.
Understandably incredulous at the blatant ignorance on display at such a high end establishment, Mr. Neijens inquired why a baby would be asked to have lunch in the restroom when adults are not.
The Greenburgh Police Department arrived minutes later with Detective Scott Harding apparently yelling, “Close the doors!” with two other diners ordered to leave the terrace.
Mr. Neijens described the chaotic scene as something straight out of a Western movie with the officer walking around like John Wayne with “one hand on his gun, one hand on his Taser.”
The officer warned the couple that they were trespassing despite the fact that country club staff had given them specific permission to dine. He also said that some fearful members thought Mr. Neijens’ black backpack indicated they were terrorists.
Most laughable if not actually true, is what the officer came out with next when a tearful Ms. Remans asked why terrorists would breastfeed at a ritzy club:
“In Sri Lanka, babies are used by terrorists.”
Well, you learn something new every day, don’t you?
Attention all breastfeeding mothers. Your milk engorged breasts are actually considered weapons of mass destruction by law enforcement authorities. That liquid is NOT food for your baby. It is actually highly explosive material that could detonate at any time, sparking a chain of events identified by the media as bona fide terrorist activity.
Detective Harding quickly backed off his ridiculous posturing when Mr. Neijens revealed his State Department issued identification.
He dismissed his over the top behavior by explaining that the club had received terrorist threats in the past.
Despite the fact that they were doing nothing illegal or improper and possessed proper identification, the couple was still escorted off the premises via the back door.
A few days later, Mr Neijens sent an e-mail demanding an apology from Country Club general manager Tracy Fraus and assistant general manager Audra Vaccari.
“I am deeply worried about your staff if they cannot distinguish between a European couple looking for a quiet place to breast-feed a baby and suicide terrorists carrying a backpack.”
Lt. B.J. Ryan, a spokesman for the Greenburgh Police Department, labeled the incident as a simple “cultural misunderstanding.”
Ahem. On behalf of breastfeeding mothers everywhere, I beg to differ.
Breasts are not “cultural” and there is no “misunderstanding” their true purpose. They are the universal instrument for optimal feeding of babies.
Not “boob grenades”.
Hard to believe the terrorism handbook didn’t cover this point properly.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources:
Belgian diplomat booted from golf club, treated “like terrorists” over wife’s breastfeeding
Couple “treated like terrorists” over breastfeeding and backpack at ritzy restaurant
Unbelievable! They were just minding their own business, not disturbing anyone! People need to get over this!!
Sometimes I actually hope that industrial civilisation will be scorched in the fires of hell.
ridiculous.
Oddly enough, NY state has a right to breastfeed law: 1994 NY ALS 98; 1994 NY LAWS 98; 1994 NYSN 3999 79-e Right to Breast Fed. Not with standing any other provision of law, a mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether or not the nipple of the mother’s breast is covered during or incidental to the breast feeding.
So Kim Kaminski you are ensuring that a mom never leaves her house because infants eat frequently and sometimes just need comforting and that almost always means the breast. I breast fed all of mine and if the general, uneducated public didn’t like it, too bad. I was less exposed than most fashionistas are. Exposing their chests with low cut shirts, or extremely short skirts. Those offend me so they should only wear them in private.
Yet another reason to hate NY.
Well, to be fair, have you SEEN how far that milk can shoot with a let-down? Those police officers could’ve been sprayed in the face or something! Oh the TERROR!!!
Hahahaha! I remember that when I breastfed my kids. Too funny!
ROFL!
Oh, yes – or the sudden release in a hot shower when you have a clogged duct!
Wasn’t there a story a couple years ago about a woman who squirted a cop and was arrested for assault?
It is not a crime but I still don’t think it should be done in public.
It really does not matter what you “think”. My child’s nutrition is more important. The law states that my baby has a right to eat. Not that a law should even be needed.
On the private property of someone else, it really doesn’t matter what you ‘think’. If you’re asked to leave and you don’t, that’s trespassing.
It doesn’t matter if it was private property or not. The law clearly states that mothers have the right to breastfeed their child in any location PUBLIC OR PRIVATE.
They weren’t trespassing until the establishment knew they were breaking a law. Go back to law school. 🙂
Than you are not permitted to eat in public. Why should my baby starve just because you don’t think it’s proper. I would not ever consider what anyone feels is proper over my baby crying because he’s hungry. I’m sure my whole city has seen my breasts with my sons. I know everyone has a right to their own opinion but to me my baby’s right to a more important.
So busy mothers should let their baby starve til they get home?? When youre out and about do you just grab a bite to eat or wait til you get home? Your comment is proof that this country is stupid and backwards in its thinking of breast feeding.
It’s not a crime, but I still don’t think it’s okay for adults to talk with their mouths full of food. Or to chomp down in traffic on a juicy burger from Burger King, dripping mayo and ketchup and junk all over their faces. Unfortunately, there isn’t a law protecting people who want to eat like hogs at a trough in a public or private location, which is far more “disturbing” to the rest of us who have to hear it and see it than to see a mother discreetly nursing her infant.
There is, however, a law protecting the rights of a woman to breastfeed her child in a public or private location.
Get over yourself. We have kids to feed.
See they are just using the word terrorist to do the most they can to people for NO reason. Kill their animals throw them in jail just generally do what ever they please.
“Cultural misunderstanding”… Saddest line of the whole pathetic story. Oh, the bureaucratic stupidity.