Miss Belgium pageant queen is embroiled in a racism row after 'n*****' Instagram post (but she insists she is not prejudiced because her dad works in Africa) 

  • Romanie Schotte, 19, from Bruges, was crowned Miss Belgium last weekend 
  • Student has been labelled 'racist' after using a 'chocolate ice cream' emoji
  • But the Miss World hopeful insisted: 'I am open to all cultures and people' 

By Unity Blott For Mailonline

Published: 04:45 EST, 20 January 2017 | Updated: 05:16 EST, 20 January 2017

A Belgian beauty queen is embroiled in a racism row after a follower used the word 'n*****' to refer to a man pictured sitting behind her in an Instagram picture.

Miss Belgium 2017 Romanie Schotte, 19, from Bruges, posted the photograph, which has since been removed, just days after being crowned in the pageant.

According to the Brussels Post, she replied to the comment saying 'I know,' alongside a poo emoji - leading to her being trolled on social media amid calls for her to be stripped of her title.

Miss Belgium 2017 Romanie Schotte, 19, from Bruges has found herself at the centre of a controversy after using an emoji on Instagram which some people have said was 'racist'

Miss Schotte later sent out a statement via Miss Belgium's organisers insisting that she was 'not racist'.

'I am open to all cultures and people,' she said. 'My father mainly works in Africa, therefore how on earth could I afford to be racist?'

The business student added: 'I’m very sorry if I have hurt some people by my reaction to somebody’s post. I wish to apologise to those who feel attacked.'

MailOnline has contacted Miss Schotte and the Miss World organisers for comment. 

Since the alleged remarks, Miss Schotte has been inundated with poo emojis from angry protesters on social media, while an online petition calling for her to be 'decrowned' has attracted more than 6,800 signatures.

One of Miss Schotte's followers commented 'that n******', it has been reported, to which the pageant queen, who was crowned last weekend, replied: 'I know' alongside a poo emoji

Angry protesters inundated Miss Schotte's Facebook page with the 'poo' emojis - although she insisted she had used the icon in the context of 'a chocolate ice cream'

The author claims that accepting Romanie as Miss Belgium is 'tolerating racism, hatred and intolerance in 2017'. 

They added: 'We will make every effort to find the man in the photo, in order to encourage him to file a complaint against Romanie Schotte.'

Miss Schotte told the Belgian press that she had used the emoji in the context of 'un cornet de glace au chocolat' (a chocolate ice cream).

Miss Schotte has been inundated with poo emojis from angry protesters on social media, while a petition on change.org calling for her to be dethroned has attracted 500 signatures

The controversy comes less than a week after Miss Schotte was was crowned Miss Belgium during a gala evening at the Plopsa Theatre on Saturday night

The Brussels Post also report that Belgian government agency UNIA have launched an investigation following the alleged comments.

A spokesperson told the newspaper: 'We have opened a file in relation to this potential cyberhate incident following the information that we received, but have also referred the matter to a higher authority. 

'We lament this commonplace racism which remains a daily reality in Belgium. This incident is especially regrettable given the position now held by the individual concerned.

Since the alleged remarks, Miss Schotte has been inundated with poo emojis from angry protesters on social media, as well as an online petition calling for her to be 'decrowned'

Miss Schotte, pictured at last weekend's pageant final, told the Belgian press that she had used the emoji in the context of ' un cornet de glace au chocolat ' (a chocolate ice cream)

'We are sorry that, in this day and age, people can use such ill-considered images as a joke.'

Miss Schotte appeared to have disabled comments on her Instagram page following the controversy. 

The teen was crowned Miss Belgium during a gala evening at the Plopsa Theatre in Adinkerke on Saturday night.

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