Several individuals were forcefully pushed by police officers when attempting to enter an unoccupied building during a demonstration for housing rights in Brussels on Sunday. Approximately 500 people marched in the city, advocating for access to a roof, when some participants entered a building on Avenue de Stalingrad. Different accounts of events emerged, with the collective “Stop the reception crisis” alleging that police authorities intervened inside the building without a warrant and arrested four individuals while causing injury to others. The police, however, stated that some participants entered the building and were later ordered to leave. Further attempts by others to reach the scene were obstructed. The demonstrators intended for this action to serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for housing rights, with up to 2,500 asylum seekers currently without a solution for their living condition. A victory in favor of 70 asylum seekers who occupy a federal building was recently achieved, obliging the Belgian State to provide them with suitable accommodation pending their asylum application decision.
Several people were violently pushed back by the police as they tried to enter an uninhabited building this Sunday followingnoon in Brussels. The incident took place on the sidelines of a demonstration for the right to housing.
A procession of around 500 people marched through the streets of Brussels this Sunday. Their fight? Access to a roof. As the demonstrators passed near Place Rouppe, several people left the group and entered an uninhabited building on Avenue de Stalingrad.
This is when the versions diverge. According to the collectiveStop the reception crisis“, the police intervened within the building itself, “violently”, and “without an eviction order”. Sixty officers who made four arrests and allegedly injured other occupants. According to the police, some participants in the demonstration did enter the building and were simply ordered to leave.
Other people who tried to reach the scene later were turned away. The four arrests are confirmed: two judicial and two administrative. Last week, the justice of the peace ruled in favor of some seventy asylum seekers who occupy a federal building in Saint-Josse. The Belgian State is now obliged to provide them with decent accommodation pending a decision on their asylum application. For the demonstrators, this new foray into an empty building was intended as a reminder that despite this victory, hundreds of other people are still waiting for decent housing. They would be 2,500 asylum seekers without solution currently.
The fight for access to housing continues in Brussels, as demonstrated by the events of this Sunday followingnoon. Despite conflicting versions of what happened when demonstrators entered an uninhabited building, the message is clear: there are still hundreds of people in need of decent housing. The recent court ruling in favor of asylum seekers occupying a federal building was a step forward, but there is still work to be done. As the fight goes on, let us hope for a just and compassionate solution for those in need.
