The campaign headquarters of the MR+ list for the local elections in the municipality of the City of Brussels has been vandalised again over the party's position on the war in the Middle East.
A slogan accusing the liberals of supporting a "genocide" of Palestinians was painted on the shopfront of their Dansaert neighbourhood office on Saturday. A large anarchist sign had been tagged on the building a few days earlier.
Frederik Ceulemans, the eleventh candidate and first Dutch-speaker on the list, announced that he would file a complaint against the perpetrators. He has accused "far-left activists" of disrupting the democratic election process.
The Middle East conflict had already been a part of the political debate in the capital during the legislative and European elections on 9 June, and has now resurfaced with local elections.
Comments by MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez regarding an operation targeting thousands of Hezbollah members in Lebanon have sparked outrage among greens and socialists.
Interviewed on Radio Judaica, the French-speaking liberal described the operation as a "stroke of genius" before adding: "There is no compassion for terrorists," he stated. "If we managed to eliminate a number of them, I think that’s a very good thing."
Federal MP Rajae Maouane, also a candidate (Ecolo-Groen) for the City of Brussels, responded with strong criticism. "Killing civilians, including children, and terrorising an already suffering population, is what the MR calls genius. What horror. What shame. Where is your moral compass, Mr Bouchez?"
Brussels MP Jamal Ikazban (PS) accused the MR president of "glorifying war crimes".
