The annual commemoration of the victims of the Brabant killers took place on Saturday morning at the Delhaize supermarket in Aalst, East Flanders, where eight people were shot dead on 9 November 1985.
Around 70 people attended the ceremony, which was held at the memorial erected last year near the Delhaize. Participants laid flowers and held a minute of silence. Several witnesses of the events were present.
"It is an annual tradition that should never have become one," addressed Christoph D’Haese, the mayor of Aalst, to the participants.
In his speech, the mayor also criticised the conclusion of the investigation. "The judicial system has failed and abandoned the citizens. This case remains unresolved, and it is a stain on our judicial system," he lamented.
Delhaize supermarket at Aalst, 9 November 1985 following attack by the Brabant Killers, a group responsible for the attacks of supermarkets, restaurants, shops and arms stores throughout the Brabant region between 1982 and 1985. Credit: Belga
Last June, the federal prosecutor’s office decided to close the investigation into the Brabant Killers. "Unfortunately, we were never able to uncover the truth," D’Haese had stated at that time.
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the attack in Aalst, which will lead to the expiry of the case under the statute of limitations.
This is the second year that the annual commemoration has taken place at the Delhaize. Before the construction of the memorial, the ceremony was held at the Aalst cemetery.
