Diplomat, Breastfeeding Wife Pegged as Terrorists in NY

When Roseline Remans, wife of Belgian diplomat Tom Neijens, started breastfeeding their daughter on the terrace of the Metropolis Country Club in White Plains early last month, a manager quickly asked her to "leave immediately" and finish the feeding in the bathroom. Neijens argued, and the situation quickly escalated, he now tells the New York Post. The police arrived, cleared other diners from the terrace, and a detective walked over with "one hand on his gun, one hand on his Taser," says Neijens, the first secretary of the Belgium Mission to the UN.

The detective accused the couple of trespassing, and then came the kicker: He said some at the club feared the couple were terrorists, because Neijens was carrying a black backpack, the diplomat says. Remans pointed out they had a baby with them, to which the officer reportedly responded, "In Sri Lanka, babies are used by terrorists." Things calmed down when Neijens took out his ID from the State Department, but the family was still escorted out. They weren't members of the club, but had been given permission by staff to eat there anyway. (More breast feeding stories.)