Both tourists and locals alike are increasingly complaining of the dirtiness, odour and growing crime rate coming from the Gare du Midi and surrounding area in the south of Brussels.
Many tourists are deeply critical of the area's filthiness and general feeling of lawlessness upon arrival in the Belgian capital.
"Coming from Mexico City, I am used to experiencing this feeling of insecurity but I have never seen such a level of dirt in other international stations in Europe," said Monica, who had just arrived in Belgium with her family.
"The smell is very strange, a mixture of shit and urine," a Brazilian tourist recently told La Dernière Heure (DH). "The inside of the station is clean but once you pass the exit doors, it's something else."
'Normalisation of crime'
Official police figures show that 146 armed robberies were committed at or near Gare du Midi over the past year. Over half of these involved the use of a knife or pistol.
Many local residents and even politicians, however, believe that these numbers radically underestimate the true extent of criminality in the neighbourhood.
"I myself witnessed an armed robbery but the shopkeeper did not want to file a complaint," said Belgian Senator and Brussels native Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven (MR). "There is a kind of trivialisation and normalisation of crime, which is expressed in ever more serious forms... The explosions of violence have become regular."
Van Goidsenhoven's comments were echoed by Said, a local shopkeeper. "The windows of my car have already been broken, but this is commonplace," he said.
"It happens every day. The situation is especially problematic during the night, between 01:00 and 06:00. People wander around, they do not work, and commit small crimes to pass the time and buy drugs. The police patrol but cannot take care of everyone because they are understaffed."
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A 'desolate' place
One Brussels resident added that the city's status as the 'capital of Europe' should compel local officials to remedy the situation as soon as possible.
"[Gare du Midi] is a place frequented by tens of thousands of people but the scene is desolate," said Aïssata, who lives in Molenbeek. "However, it is showcasing the capital of Europe and I do not understand the actions of politicians. It is necessary to take drastic measures to improve the situation."
