Good afternoon!
As summer rolls on (and I'm aware I may be speaking to fewer of you than usual, given many will be lounging on beaches or beside pools, or out of reach of mobile signals up mountains or on the water), so does perhaps the major issue facing Brussels at the moment. It hangs over the city like the grey clouds that so often greet us each morning, and drains it of the positive energy so many who live here try to imbue it with each day. I'm talking, of course, about the drug violence that continues unabated.
Regular readers will know only too well that it is a subject that graces our pages weekly, and a subject that I have frequently written about in BIB. Now it is one that the acting mayor of a badly affected area of Brussels is writing about as well. In a press release, Saliha Raïss directs her frustration squarely at the Federal Government.
What she says is nothing particularly profound, and the action she demands is not rocket science. Indeed, I expressed similar ideas in an editorial way back in February. In it, I also lamented the complete lack of urgency on the part of the politicians, and on top of it, a lack of accountability.
Six months and countless deaths and injuries later, and nothing, it appears, has changed. The complacency on the part of the Federal Government remains. And of course, we can't make a judgement on the complacency or otherwise of the Brussels Government – because over a year after elections, there still isn't one.
Surely a crisis like this – and this is a crisis for Brussels and its prosperity and image – demands bold action. Why is it not possible to convene a special task force made up of authorities, ministers, police, etc.? A "war cabinet" or COBRA group, if you like, to develop a strategy, coordinate action and implement it aggressively.
The most depressing thing about all of this is the inevitable conclusion one must draw from this inactivity and disregard for the public's safety and well-being. That is, that despite some media, several politicians, civil society, residents and business leaders increasingly and publicly voicing their despair at the situation, those supposedly in charge in the Federal Government cannot say they don't know or aren't aware of the situation – therefore it must be that they just don't care.
One can only speculate why that might be.
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1. ‘We deserve better’: Molenbeek calls on Federal Government to tackle Brussels drug violence
"These are not isolated incidents: they are interconnected and move from one neighbourhood to another. What starts in Anderlecht ends in Molenbeek." Read more.
2. ‘We get attacked all the time and we can’t say anything’
I was born a boy and was raised by a single mother. I always wanted to be like her. I moved to Brussels to find my freedom, but that came with a price. Read more.
3. (Interactive) Where are Belgium’s riskiest roads?
Belgium recorded over 35,000 road accidents in 2024. Could you be living in an accident hotspot? Read more.
4. Wolf attack – boy dragged into woods on family walk
A wolf nicknamed ‘Bram’ with the official designation GW3237m has been blamed for the attack. Read more.
5. One suspect arrested after new Anderlecht shooting
Gunshots were heard shortly before midnight on the night of Wednesday to Thursday at Alphonse Lemmens Square in Anderlecht. Read more.
6. Belgium among most targeted countries by pro-Russian hackers
Just weeks after a global crackdown, NoName057(16) hackers escalate attacks on Belgium. Read more.
7. What to do in Brussels this weekend: 8 – 10 August
Brussels is particularly quiet this time of year, but the city's cultural agenda is still packed with activities. Here's what's on this weekend! Read more.
