Police will be patrolling the area around the cave of Klein Scherpenheuvel in the municipality of Heist-op-den-Berg after reports that people were disrespecting and vandalising the pilgrimage. In recent weeks, there have been fires set to the sacred building on two different occasions.
Two weeks ago, a fire was set to one of the chapels, more recently, candles were lit in an effort to set fire to the chapel door. Soot can still be seen on the chapel walls. Not only have there been multiple fires, but people have been dealing drugs and having sex in public at the Klein Scherpenheuvel.
The Flemish far-right party, Vlaams Belang, is upset that the place of peace and worship has become a nuisance for the community. After the arson attack, the surrounding neighbourhood made it known to councillor Tamara Ceuppens (Vlaams Belang) that residents feel uncomfortable and avoid the area.
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Other than the report of arson, no other official reports have been made. Mayor Jan Moons (N-VA) strongly encourages members of the community to submit a report if the nuisance continues.
The issue was discussed on Tuesday during at a city council meeting which included members of Vlaams Belang, Frans Poortman and Tamara Ceuppens.
The far-right party has tasked the local police department to keep an eye on the situation. A community officer has been deployed to observe the area in addition to the local police patrolling the area regularly.
