Around 30 undocumented women and ten children have been evicted from the former Monty hotel in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. They have been transferred to a reception centre, despite the responsible agency's objection.
The women and children have occupied the former hotel on Boulevard Brand Whitlock since January, after the group of Ukrainians who had been staying in it before deserted the building.
On Tuesday morning, however, the group was forcefully evacuated from the building by the police. The owner of the former hotel had applied to the Peace Court for their removal and refused to negotiate their extended stay.
The Undocumented Women's Committee – a group supporting the undocumented women and children – had organised a rally at 08:00 to try to prevent the eviction, but it took place before the mobilisation.
The police entered the building at around 06:20 and proceeded to evacuate them by forcing open the doors "with a great deal of intimidation," the Committee told Belga News Agency.
"The approximately 30 women and ten children – including an infant – were not even allowed to take their personal belongings on the bus. Workers will be asked to collect them later and bring them back," said Benoît Peeters, a citizen supporting the Committee.
Transferred to reception centre
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Mayor Olivier Maingain (DéFI) had promised an alternative building, but no suitable or practicable solution could be found.
On Tuesday, the occupants were therefore transferred by bus to the Ariane federal transit reception centre in this commune, an empty wing of which had been requisitioned earlier in the week by Maingain.
However, Fedasil, the asylum reception agency which manages the centre, has contested the decision. It argued that there was not enough capacity or space. The agency itself is struggling with the fallout of the asylum reception crisis, caused by the Federal Government's failure to provide enough shelter for asylum seekers who are legally entitled to it.
"Our mission is to take in people who have applied for asylum, not those who haven't," the agency argued. It has meanwhile referred the matter to the Council of State, which said it lacked jurisdiction and referred the case back to the Peace Court.
Peeters meanwhile has raised concerns about whether the Ariane centre is a stable and permanent solution for the affected women and children. The women were offered another solution, but they declined due to the lack of space and available sanitary facilities.
The eviction comes just days after a large-scale march took place in Brussels to demand the regularisation of undocumented migrants. The action – "operation regularisation" – emanated from several collectives and support groups. They called for an end to closed detention centres and evictions, among other things.
