“You are a bad Belgian and you have signed your own death warrant.”
That was the message to factory owner Rik Remmery when he opened his mail one morning just before Christmas.
For ex-policeman Rik it was only the start of an angry and chilling tirade of threatening post.
Further letters put a 250,000 euro ($326,000; £173,000) price on his head and a final package contained a bullet.
By now the letters were coming to his family home as well as his factory. “December,” another letter read “will be a nightmare.” The death threats against Rik were caused by one simple fact – he employed a Muslim woman who wore a headscarf to work.
Somebody, somewhere in the small town of Ledegem in West Flanders did not like that and was prepared to take extreme action unless Rik sacked Naima Amzil.
But Rik stood firm.
“She’s worked here for eight years. I accepted her with a headscarf and I will not change my mind because of one sick person,” he said.