The Institut technique Félicien Rops in Namur and the Athénée royal in Jambes rallied on Thursday in support of two student families threatened with expulsion from Belgium.
The two mobilisations converged in the evening on the occasion of a proclamation ceremony organised within the institute.
The first family, of Syrian origin but long settled in Venezuela, received a negative opinion on its asylum application and will soon have to leave the Natoye reception centre.
According to the father of the family, it failed, in the eyes of the relevant administration, to prove the threats and extortion attempts to which it was subjected in Venezuela in a context of very high political tensions.
The family’s children have been attending the Félicien Rops technical institute for two years. For several days, their situation has mobilised the school’s teachers, who decided to launch a vast petition and raise awareness in the Namur political world.
The second family, of Pakistani origin, has been ordered to leave the country. This, combined with the particularly brutal death of the family’s eldest daughter a few days ago, has had a major impact on teachers at the Royal Atheneum in Jambes, who have also been trying to mobilise for several days.
On Thursday, they organised a march through the streets of Namur.
