2 July 2012: What a sunny day! Finally summer has arrived in Brussels. The Palais de la Justice’s dome was shining brightly like a newly polished crown in the mid-day sun.
Every evening when I go home from work, I look forward to seeing the Palais de la Justice’s crowning glory glowing and looking all resplendent as it would mean that the sun is still up. For me, it’s like a beacon of hope (for sunshine)!
But something’s different today, a glimmer of something brighter… Could it be that someone has tagged the “crown”??
C’est incroyable! Erm, but what is “idEAHOT” supposed to mean? It does sound a little like “idiot” in French.
Here’s a photo that I took on the following day:
I searched online using “Palais de la Justice Bruxelles tag” when I was back in the office after lunch. Apparently, the Palais de la Justice was tagged just a few days ago over the weekend.
I was a little tickled by one of the videos on the RTL Info website about this mysterious tag: Graffiti sur le Palais de la Justice
In the background is the Ultraman-lookalike figure which I once took a photo of and which looked like it was protecting the Palais de la Justice from monsters! Guess someone still managed to slip through to spray “idEAHOT” on the dome.
By who and why, it remains a mystery. If something like this happens in Singapore, the culprit will almost certainly be caught within a few days’ time and be given a few strokes of the cane for defacing a court of justice. Oliver Fricker can attest to that.
It’s interesting to note that this tag was not immediately removed by the administration in Brussels, as it would usually swoop down on street graffiti with high-pressure water spray. I wonder how long would “idEAHOT” remain on the dome.
As much as I like street art, I prefer the crown the way it was, graffiti-free and untagged.
Guess the Ultraman and giant dog that were tagged onto the hoarding around the Palais de Justice didn’t help protect it : p
Angelina Hue 
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