Authorities have postponed the eviction of an occupied building in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. The site currently houses around 60 people.
The group of undocumented migrants (including nine children) occupied a building on Avenue Georges-Henri in early August. The property is owned by the International Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), who secured a legal ruling to vacate the premises on 29 August.
This was due to occur on Tuesday, but residents have succeeded in appealing the court order and the eviction has now been postponed. The OACPS is in talks with the occupying group and the municipality to work out an arrangement.
"Following joint efforts by the municipality and the office of the outgoing Brussels Minister of Social Action, the international organisation OACPS, which owns the building at 451 Avenue Georges Henri, has agreed to refrain from evicting the residents, which was due to take place this Tuesday," the commune stated in a press release on Monday.
"The militant, legal and political pressure has paid off: the eviction order has been suspended until the appeal is successful, and the owner finally seems ready to come to the negotiating table!" Neutral Collective Zone (the organisation representing the residents) posted on social media.
Appeals to Hadja Lahbib for help
Previously, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert appealed to regional and federal ministers to prevent the eviction from occurring. It stressed its own powerlessness in the face of a court ruling that ordered the eviction to be carried out using force if necessary.
The commune even turned to outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) for help given the diplomatic status of the building, but Lahbib never responded.
Related News
- Woluwe-Saint-Lambert calls on regional and federal ministers to prevent squat eviction
- Asylum reception centre opens in Ixelles, replacing squat which housed families
- Council of Europe again condemns Belgium's 'clear refusal' to comply with the law
People who migrate to Belgium find themselves struck by the ongoing reception crisis, which violates international law by failing to adequately provide shelter for asylum seekers. According to reception agency Fedasil, the Belgian State has been condemned 11,512 times for these shortcomings.
Last month, Europe's largest human rights organisation the Council of Europe issued repeated its condemnation of Belgium for failing to take the necessary steps to resolve the reception crisis.
