A memorial to a woman who was killed in her home in December 2024 was unveiled in Schaerbeek on Thursday.
Diana Andreea Gramma, 36, was originally from Romania and had run the popular Ruya Café in Schaerbeek for five years. Her killing shocked the neighbourhood, where she was well-known among local shopkeepers and residents.
At around 20:40 on 3 December 2024, police were called to the entrance hall of an apartment building on Avenue du Diamant. Upon arrival, police officers found Gramma with multiple stab wounds. Despite attempts to save her, she later succumbed to her injuries.
Her former partner was arrested and charged with her murder.
The memorial
Dozens of people braved the scorching heat on Thursday to attend the unveiling of a mosaic created by artist Saskia Leurart. The commemorative plaque reads: "In memory of Diana Andreea Gramma, victim of femicide on 3 December 2024."
The installation also features a text by slam poet Asma Soulista highlighting the violence women experience "in their homes, in their families, in the street and in their bodies".
"For us, installing this memorial means making violence against women visible and embedding it in the public space so that everyone – and especially men – becomes aware of it," said Vincent Vanhalewyn, the municipality's Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Councillor.
Alice Dirkx, coordinator of a feminist platform combating violence against women, said the plaque recognises Diana Gramma's life and reminds passers-by that a woman was killed at that location because of her sex.
The killing pushed Schaerbeek municipal council to adopt a motion against violence and discrimination towards women.
Days after the attack, around 100 people marched through the neighbourhood in her memory.
Diana Andreea Gramma's killing in December 2024 prompted calls for greater action against violence towards women. Credit: Instagram.
