The mayor of Antwerp Bart de Wever asks for the support of the army in his city to fight against drug traffickers. The MR, which is part of the government, supports this call. What does the Minister of Defense think?
Ludivine Dedonder, Minister of Defence, spoke about the army’s requests for intervention in Antwerp. Drug-related violence is on the rise in the city. “The question is to know what is the added value that Defense would bring in this problem?“, she says. “We are talking about serious crime, drug trafficking, settling of scores between clans and the Defense does not have the power to police or conduct legal investigations. Some ask through the press for help from the Defence. But for what role, what mission?”
The mayor of Antwerp, Bart de Wever, and the MR nevertheless ask for this military help. “I read it in the press but I did not have a direct request“, continues Ludivine Dedonder. “We must not confuse the roles, we do not have this police role. I have never been opposed to the army providing support, but here we are in a different context. Today, I do not see the added value that the Defense could bring in the context of this drug trafficking.“