Bart De Wever, the Mayor of Antwerp, has blamed the recent explosions in his city on the Federal Government, therefore absolving himself of any blame.
In his capacity as mayor of Flanders' largest city, the President of the right-wing and Flemish nationalist party, N-VA, had to respond to Wednesday's explosions in Antwerp.
Bart De Wever stated that "the prosecution and the police (in Antwerp) are waging an unequal fight (against traffickers)" due to a perceived lack of means.
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According to De Wever, the Federal Government is to blame. "They do not see organised crime as a priority and ministers do not follow up on our requests and sweep away the problem."
He saw this perceived lack of assistance from federal authorities as "a blow to all those who fight every day on the ground to protect our society and stop crime.”
The Flemish green party, Groen, who serve as the opposition in the Antwerp municipality, has urged the mayor to take greater action, by putting police forces in place that would be closer to the city's impacted neighbourhoods.
