Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever says police is closely monitoring the "worrying situation" in Israel and "will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our Jewish community."
Vigilance in Antwerp's Jewish quarter had already been raised due to a Jewish holiday taking place over the weekend.
Michael Freilich, N-VA deputy in the House of Representatives and member of Antwerp's Jewish community, also expressed his "deep concern" about the situation in our country "where tensions could escalate at any moment". Freilich is calling on the federal government to send "a clear signal" in response to the concerns of his community.
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"Since the withdrawal of military units from our streets in 2021, security around Jewish institutions has decreased significantly despite the best efforts of local police forces," he told Belga News Agency. "But in such a tense climate, it is irresponsible not to take additional security measures."
Bart De Wever agrees with his party colleague. "We have always complained to the current federal government that it has purely and simply stopped local security measures for the dozens of sensitive Jewish institutions in Antwerp."
"Since then, we have, as a city, taken full responsibility by putting in place a complementary local police presence, in good cooperation with the Jewish community."
In a press release, the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organisations in Belgium condemned the "massive terrorist attacks launched against Israeli civilians from Gaza".
