While Anderlecht is the first municipality in Brussels to authorise the wearing of religious symbols by public administration employees, the topic has reignited a fierce debate over religious neutrality and freedom.
The text is an amended version of a motion put forward by the Belgian Green parties (Ecolo/Groen). When the original text was thrown out by the Socialist Party (PS), a tense debate ensued, eventually resulting in the text’s adoption on Thursday night.
The Greens abstained from the final vote, saying it would not support a watered-down final text, which authorises religious symbols except for those in positions of authority when in contact with the public.
The topic of religious symbols in general hits a nerve for defenders of Belgium’s principle of neutrality. French-speaking liberal leader George-Louis Bouchez (MR) says that religious symbols in public administration equate to an attack on liberal democracy.
Reacting to the vote in Anderlecht, he told Sudinfo: "Here, we're taking a step backwards, putting religion back at the heart of a system, and that can only end badly. We must not compromise democratic principles."
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Anderlecht Mayor Fabrice Cumps (PS) believes the motion balances both neutrality and diversity, although he is critical of Green approach. "We need to increase diversity in our administration, but we need to set some guidelines," he told BX1. "This work may take some time."
The vote in Anderlecht follows closely on the heels of a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that allows public authorities in Member States to ban headscarves and other garments.
