About 60 people without documents to stay in Belgium, including nine children, face eviction next Tuesday from a building in the Brussels municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, according to the Roza Nera – Zone Neutre collective.
The collective, which supports undocumented individuals, has occupied the building on George Henrilaan since 5 August. The building, vacant for three years, is owned by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, ACP, a group of 79 states that maintains special relations with the European Union.
After multiple attempts at negotiation, the building’s residents received an eviction notice on 11 October, instructing them to vacate the premises by 22 October. They have appealed the notice but fear not having enough time to complete the legal process.
Police, accompanied by a bailiff, visited the property on Monday and have reportedly been regularly visiting to "intimidate and evict the residents".
"The use of such practices is shocking but not surprising," said Mohammed, one of the residents. "As undocumented individuals, we are constantly under the threat of arrest or deportation."
Call for collective regularisation
Living conditions in the building have been deteriorating. The residents have been without electricity and energy for two months, says the collective. The municipality and the Public Centre for Social Welfare have not assisted in restoring utilities or providing a permanent place for the group. “A temporary rental agreement could give the residents a roof over their heads until the building is repurposed,” argues Roza Nera – Zone Neutre.
The collective says this would be the fourth eviction from an unoccupied building this year. Earlier this year, residents were evicted from a property on Linthoutstraat, which remains vacant.
The collective emphasises that the situation on the George Henrilaan is not an isolated one. Eviction from squatted buildings is part of the growing repression faced by undocumented persons in Belgium, it says.
It advocates for collective regularisation to provide undocumented people with the financial and administrative autonomy necessary for a dignified life.
