Reception crisis: impasse in Brussels for the camp of shame

The 140 asylum seekers who slept in front of the Petit-Château before being evacuated to a rest home in Anderlecht were immediately replaced by others. Doctors Without Borders warns of a catastrophic and unprecedented situation since the Syrian crisis of 2015.

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Political journalist

By Maxime Bierme

Published on 02/28/2023 at 18:57
Reading time: 2 mins

After the squat of shame in Schaerbeek, here is the makeshift camp in Molenbeek. It has now been two weeks since around 200 asylum seekers, mostly Afghans, Burundians, Eritreans and Palestinians, have been sleeping in tents along the canal, opposite the Petit-Château.

The place is symbolic because until this summer it was the official gateway to requesting international protection in Belgium. This is no longer the case since overflows in mid-August, but the place continues to attract people left on the street by Fedasil, the body in charge of reception in Belgium.

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