A meeting that was supposed to reconcile the positions of proponents and opponents of the Good Move mobility plan in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek went off the rails when protestors shut down discussion.
When the Good Move plans were rolled out in Schaerbeek last October, the new traffic plan sparked protests in the Cage-aux-Ours neighbourhood. Locals angry with the changes removed signs and road furniture leading the municipality to temporarily put its mobility plans on hold and reopen talks with residents.
A broad participation process without politicians was planned to find a resolution. But whilst the first two meetings were already tense, the third (and last) session was prevented entirely from taking place.
The two moderators – who were hired externally to lead the debate neutrally and professionally – welcomed participants and proposed to start with a round of introductions. But their proposal was immediately interrupted by a man demanding to speak. He proceeded to launch a 15-minute tirade against the Good Move policy.
Beyond childish
"Repeated attempts by the moderators to make the man understand that the meeting cannot start like this were met with jeers and shouting from his supporters," Schaerbeek resident Lidewij Nuitten (present at the meeting) wrote in a detailed Facebook post. "When the moderators said it is unacceptable to shout, half the room started shouting."
After about half an hour of shouting, one woman tried to testify about the sexism she experiences when cycling through the neighbourhood and telling people that they are parked on the bike path.
But she was repeatedly interrupted many times, including by the man who initially hijacked the meeting. He said that while he regretted her experience, it is "Good Move's fault" for pitting various road users against each other.
After about an hour of continuous shouting and interruptions, the two moderators gave up, Nuitten said. "For those who were not there, I wish I could find a metaphor to convey the tenor of this meeting. But even the most intense kindergarten could not quite match how childish some grown people behaved here."
Traffic signs were destroyed during the protest against the 'Good Move' traffic circulation plan in Schaerbeek last October. Credit: Belga/Nils Quintelier
While Nuitten was eager to point out that not all opponents to the circulation plan were so disrespectful, she was disheartened by the apparent unreadiness for constructive dialogue.
Pieter Fannes, an activist for the Heroes for Zero citizens' collective who lives in the area, was struck by the number of opponents that deliberately chose to block any form of discussion. He called the disruption a "boycott" designed to force those favourable to the Good Move plan ("who appeared to be in the majority") to leave.
A Facebook page for people opposed to the Good Move plan shows that people are concerned about cars being banned in the area, as well as gentrification being an outcome.
"Gentrification is not a consequence of the circulation plan, but its purpose," one video states. "The aim is to attract a social class with higher incomes which can provide more tax revenue for the region and thus close the budget gap."
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The Dreamocracy agency that supervises the participation process admitted to Bruzz that this weekend's meeting was a failure. Yet it sought to salvage proceedings by noting "Before that, we already had several more positive meetings," founder Stephen Boucher said.
Boucher added hopes that the follow-up process with a ballot-drawn citizens panel will be more constructive: "30 people from all walks of life who will work together for four full days, perhaps the atmosphere there will be calmer."
