Brussels has real problems to sort out when it comes to drug gang violence, but the "normalisation" of political and structural inadequacies, together with the lacklustre response risks public safety and harmony writes Philip Herd, Editor in Chief of The Brussels Times
Last Monday, a slightly weary and crumpled looking Bart De Wever arrived at the Royal Palace to be officially appointed Belgium's new – and very overdue – Prime Minister. It was a sunny and clear day in Brussels – enough reason in itself for a little optimism that the stagnation, at least when it comes to the national government, was now seemingly over. That was Monday.
Within 72 hours, a series of events unfolded that brought into question what is considered “normal” here in Brussels and Belgium. In the space of three days there were four shootings, one of them fatal, all around public spaces, in the self-proclaimed Capital of Europe. The shootings in themselves were shocking enough, but sadly we have been here before.
Particularly alarming for most people were the images and video circulating within hours, of alleged perpetrators brazenly walking through a Metro station just before rush hour wielding Kalashnikovs and firing into the street, only to disappear without trace back into the tunnels. That is not normal.
When it comes to crime, perception is everything; and the perception of crime in Brussels currently is that it’s out of control – these images dramatically reinforce that view.
The drug turf wars have come to Brussels, and the authorities appear to have no answers, either strategically or literally. This to me is the most "not normal" and frustrating thing about this.
I have covered countless public order situations, major terror attacks, serial crimes, conflicts and natural disasters in my career, around the world. All of these tested the authorities and stretched public confidence and feelings of safety – and everywhere the authorities and relevant elected officials understood the need for swift, visible reassurance and engagement with the media on behalf of their citizens. People in charge fronted up, answered questions and tried to calm the situation. Everywhere seemingly except here that is. That is not normal. And it is not acceptable.
Residents will tolerate many things of their cities and those who run them – but a belief that they cannot go about their daily business in their own neighbourhoods without fear of being shot or stabbed is not one of them. And they certainly deserve that their elected officials and public authorities stand up to be counted and answer questions about what they are planning to do about it. No one should be above scrutiny.
In the days following the initial shootings and the shocking images, the lack of accountability and public responsibility from government officials and authorities was noticeable. Sure there were statements – but no clear strong coordinated message from politicians in charge or from law enforcement was forthcoming for far too long; after all, it's not like this hasn’t happened before.
It is also not normal that in press conferences the media cannot ask questions or interrogate those responsible for the protection of citizens; can’t ask what they are doing to reassure people and what they plan to do to prevent tit-for-tat reprisals and an escalation – but this was the situation last week. The response seemed sporadic, uncoordinated, lacked urgency and appeared complacent.
The added complication of course is that there is no overall Brussels police force or command. The new Federal Government has plans to change this; but local mayors are against it. They would of course lose budget and control of their individual police forces. Never mind the fact it might help coordinate a strategy to deal with the gangs and keep residents safe. And of course there is currently no Brussels government.
Fear in communities quickly leads to blame, resentment, and division and opens the door for those wishing to exploit that. Surely Belgium is divided enough as a society already? The growing death toll should be reason enough for Belgium’s politicians and leaders to demonstrate that for once they can do what's expected of them – despite the structural issues.
The concern is that the dysfunctionality of Brussels and Belgium has become institutionalised. That it is now a convenient excuse for people not to do their job well enough, not to come up with solutions together, to blame "the system", to shirk their responsibilities.
No matter who people vote for, eventually they expect them to govern - and govern effectively. They also expect to see them publicly taking control of the situation; as I said earlier, perception matters more than anything else in politics. If the current crop of politicians here don’t understand that then things could be about to get much worse.
A lack of accountability and neglecting responsibility creates a vacuum and feeds division, disillusionment and more extreme voting patterns. People already distrust politicians more than ever - so if they feel that they are not taking responsibility or seemingly don't understand their basic needs, then they will turn elsewhere. We are seeing this at every election – yet "mainstream" politicians seem baffled by this and at a loss as to how to deal with it.
You might think last week's events would shock politicians into action. One might hope it injects new purpose and impetus into the Brussels government negotiations – this appears however to be a false hope.
It is not normal for a city like Brussels, with all the accompanying problems modern cities have, to be without a government. It is time politicians and authorities in Brussels and Belgium took responsibility, and genuinely try to take the hard decisions. But that also means being accountable, available, and willing to be scrutinised.
We in the media have an important role to play in this respect. There should be no complacency on our part - no cosy acceptance that "that's just the way things are" in Belgium. It is time to hold those in power to account and get them to answer the tough questions. After all, they work for us. I can guarantee you that we at The Brussels Times will always be striving to find the truth and hold those in power to account. It is after all the least you deserve.
Philip Herd is the Editor in Chief of The Brussels Times
