An Overview of the Controversial Motion on the Wearing of Convictional Symbols in Anderlecht: Parties, Votes, and Confusion

2023-12-01 11:21:00

A certain confusion reigned over the text that was voted on as well as the parties which supported it or not.

In practice, the initial motion, which called for total authorization, without exception, of the wearing of convictional symbols in the administration, was tabled by Ecolo/Groen.

However, it is this motion, but amended by the PS, which was voted for by a majority in the Anderlecht municipal council.

Julien Uyttendaele: “The context surrounding the vote in Anderlecht worries me enormously”

This text differs from that of Ecolo in two major aspects.

The wearing of convictional signs would be authorized for agents in contact with the public

Firstly, the authorization of convictional signs is no longer complete, since it excludes functions of authority and in contact with the public. In practice, the wearing of convictional signs would be authorized for agents in contact with the public. On the other hand, for agents who are in contact with the public, but who also have a function of authority, it would be prohibited.” The two criteria are cumulative,” confirms Lotfi Mostefa, head of the PS group in Anderlecht and author of the amendment.

Secondly, while Ecolo, in its last amendment, demanded to do what is necessary for the authorization to come into force in 2024, the PS does not set any precise date and calls for the support of the Region, which may suggest a possible grouping of the text.

Ecolo’s motion, amended by the PS, was voted on as follows by the different parties:

The PS, a party member of the majority, voted in favor. The text goes in the direction of the party line, at the national level.

The PTB, a member of the opposition, voted in favor. The far-left party had, however, initially co-signed the Ecolo-Groen motion. But Giovanni Bordonaro, group leader in Anderlecht and president of the Brussels Regional of the PTB, finally followed the PS in his amendment.

The Committed, members of the majority, voted in favor. The party line, at the national level, consists of a ban on wearing convictional symbols when in contact with the public and when occupying a position of authority. In the Engagés manifesto, the criteria are not cumulative: the Anderlecht motion therefore goes further than the party line.

Vooruit, member of the majority, voted in favor.

Défi, a member of the majority, initially abstained, before changing his vote. Municipal councilor Nicole Bomele ultimately voted once morest. The party assures that it is “a mess”, due to the rapid succession of votes on different motions which, it is true, was not easy to follow.

Opposition member N-VA voted once morest.

The MR, a member of the opposition, left the session before the vote, in protest.

Ecolo/Groen, members of the majority, abstained. The Greens, in fact, had tabled a final amendment which watered down its initial text and was, in substance, in line with that of the PS.

“The text voted on this evening, partly emptied of its substance by the PS, Vooruit and Les Engagés, is a refrigeration of the process,” pointed out Marie Lecocq, Ecolo president of the Brussels-Capital Region, on social networks.

“I also have a thought for these women who waited for the decision of the municipal council in the cold on Thursday evening (Editor’s note: the police had declared a closed session due to threats once morest certain elected officials), without being able to attend. is unacceptable. Symbolically, leaving them outside is violent. We talk regarding them, but without them…”

“For us, this vote still constitutes a victory, because we were at the basis of the motion”, nuance Nadia Kammachi (Ecolo), Anderlecht alderwoman in charge of Equal Opportunities. “We are, however, dissatisfied to see that the buck is being passed back to the Region. We wanted to reach the municipal level, without waiting for the Region to give the green light. I also have a thought for these women who waited for the decision of the municipal council in the cold on Thursday evening (Editor’s note: the police had declared a closed session due to threats once morest certain elected officials), without being able to attend. It is unacceptable. Symbolically, leaving them outside is violent. We talk regarding them, but without them… After the vote, they told me they were happy that we had the political courage to go through with it.”

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“Their way of doing things confirms that the environmentalists wanted to use this vote for electoral purposes.

On the socialist side, we seem satisfied with the outcome. “In summary, it’s the sprinkler watered, the Ecolo/Groen elected officials did not vote for their own motion”, underlines Lotfi Mostefa, head of the PS group in Anderlecht. “They have revised their position downwards. Why put water in their wine, so that in the end their motion does not pass? Their way of doing things confirms that they wanted to use this vote for electoral purposes. You don’t govern a municipality with a motion… This sequence proves that they are unable to get files through. Today, they have isolated themselves within the majority. This episode will leave its mark.”

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