Around 170 Moldovan refugees who have been living in an abandoned office building in Sint-Stevens-Woluwe for the past six weeks must leave the property by Tuesday morning, following a ruling by a peace judge.
The group moved into the empty building on 10 July. Shortly after, the property owners took the matter to court, and the judge has now ruled that the occupants must vacate the premises.
“We’ve been monitoring the situation almost daily,” said Nils Meert, head of Integrated Security for Zaventem. “There haven’t been any conflicts, but the refugees must leave the building by 9:00 on Tuesday. We don’t know if the building has sustained damage over the past six weeks, although they did make some adjustments to stay there. Nearby businesses have complained about waste being left behind.”
The municipality does not anticipate major issues during the eviction process. “These individuals are not the type of squatters who engage in conflict,” Meert explained. “There are also children present, and typically, this kind of situation is handled calmly and with mutual understanding. They haven’t told us where they’re going next, but it’s unlikely they’ll remain within Zaventem’s jurisdiction.”
