Depardieu’s Belgium move sparks flurry of Twitter jokes

The Twittersphere was teeming with all sorts of witticisms over the weekend, following news – or rather confirmation – that Gérard Depardieu is officially a Belgium resident. The mayor of Estaimpuis, near Tournai, confirmed on Friday that the French actor had become a resident of the border village of Néchin, which already counts 27 percent of French nationals among its population. The news ends weeks of speculation that Depardieu would become a tax exile in Belgium, following the implementation of president Hollande’s wealth tax. Twitter were quick to make fun of Depardieu’s relocation. One user, referring to his onscreen incarnation of over-eating Gaul  Obelix (pictured), said “Wild boars are fleeing in the opposite direction”.  Another denounced that the actor’s move represented unfair competition for Manneken Pis – an allusion to the infamous incident of August 2011 in which Depardieu had relieved himself in front of fellow passengers on an aeroplane.  Earlier this year, it had already been reported that the French bought on average five houses in Brussels every day.