Police asked the owner to cover Betty’s breasts or simply remove the gnome from his garden following several complaints from people specifying that children were shocked by the deco.
Wils, on the other hand, does not understand why people are concerned: “I don’t understand why the city has time to worry about a garden gnome, I think there are bigger problems to solve. They really have nothing else to do,” he told VRT.
But the 85-year-old pensioner has no intention of covering Betty up, and is even threatening with legal action. An official decision by the city council awaits Wils, who had received Betty as a gift from his neighbours.
In the meantime, however, Wils seems to have gotten some back up from fellow nationals. In Mechelen, an owner has set up several naked garden gnomes, including statues of phalluses, one of which is wearing a bow tie.
Now the trend is spreading throughout Flanders, where the sale of dwarfs has gone through the roof. The shop that sold Betty is out of stock.
