2023-12-27 13:19:00
During the last municipal council of the year in Brussels, on December 18, the independent municipal councilor (ex-socialist) Mourad Maimouni proposed renaming two Brussels streets in honor of Moroccan or Turkish workers. “This year, we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the convention between Morocco and Belgium, as well as between Turkey and Belgium,” recalls the municipal councilor, remembering that these partnerships allowed Belgium to “win the battle coal”.
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”A lot of sweat and blood was shed. This immigration has given birth today to a fourth generation of which I am part with a lot of Belgians,” citing Marouane Fellaini or Hakima Darhmouch as examples.
It was the alderman for Urban Planning, Anaïs Maes (Vooruit), who responded. The socialist seems to agree in principle… but she doesn’t commit to anything. “During this legislature, the city is fully committed to the feminization of public space”, recalling that of the streets bearing the name of a person only 6% of them honor women.
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“It should be noted that naming opportunities are rare, only new streets or infrastructure such as bridges come into play”, and to worry regarding the administrative complexities that this entails. Eleven such opportunities presented themselves to the College during this legislature, all of them (except Marsupilami Square, whose name was chosen by the residents) were named in honor of a woman. “I fully understand the importance of your question. We are completely open to including women from the Turkish and Moroccan communities in Brussels in our list of name suggestions.”
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“I don’t see what the problem is in naming a street, a square or a square in the name of Morocco or Turkey.”
Not enough to satisfy Mourad Maimouni, who hoped to see the names of workers there. “I do not want to submit to the dictates of wokism. In 1964, 99% of men came, women came later. I want to highlight those who died in coal mines from lung diseases. I proposed that we rename a metro station in honor of a Moroccan or Turkish worker who died on a Stib construction site. But at the time, it was not recorded…”
The former socialist plans to table a motion on the subject in 2024.
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