Members of Belgian beard club mistaken for terrorists

A photo of the newly established Belgian branch of the international beard club The Bearded Villains was used by French newspaper Le Parisien to illustrate an article about Swedish Bearded Villains who were mistaken for terrorists of the Islamic State (IS). The beard club has no affiliation with a terrorist organisation, assures Het Laatste Nieuws.

The members of The Bearded Villains regularly come together from all over the world for casual get-togethers and photo shoots with the club flag, which could resemble the IS flag from afar for its minimal, black and white design. When the members of the Swedish branch earlier this week held a photo shoot in front of a castle, a passer-by immediately alerted the police that he had spotted IS militants. The mistake came to light quickly, but then Le Parisien reported on the incident with a photo of the Belgian branch in their article.

"An unfortunate mistake, but we see the humour in it," says Belgian founder Jochen Callebert in Het Laatste Nieuws. "Actually we are just men with beards who regularly get together to have a beer and a chat, nothing more. We give to charity, and often fraternise with club members abroad."