On Sunday evening, politicians from the French-speaking centrist party Les Engagés spent the night outside of Open VLD's headquarters, the party of Belgian PM Alexander De Croo, to protest the Federal Government's handling of the reception crisis and its treatment of asylum seekers.
In early December, the Belgian State was convicted by a French-speaking labour court for their failure to house asylum seekers, the latest in a long line of blemishes on the Federal Government's reception record. The latest difficulties have generated into a full-blown asylum crisis during the past year.
In response, a dozen politicians from the French-speaking opposition party Les Engagés camped outside of the Flemish liberal party Open VLD's headquarters in Brussels on Sunday evening to protest the Federal Government's handling of asylum seekers, before police dismantled their tents.
Les Engagés, who adopt a humanist approach to immigration, opted to protest in front of the liberal party's offices as it is the party of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
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However, Les Engagés' chose not to attack their traditional Flemish counterparts, CD&V, whose member Nicole De Moor is the current Federal Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.
Following the political stunt, both De Croo and the Open VLD party leader, Egbert Lachaert met with the protesting politicians on Monday. Lachaert criticised the protest action as "needless," given that "those who wanted to" had found a place to sleep in recent weeks.
Translation of tweet: "Needless action. Those who wanted to have found a place in recent weeks. Which was needed given the cold. But if Les Engagés actually wants everyone to also get their asylum and documents: that is not what we will be doing. Which they then only make worse by camping outside."
During the meeting on Monday, Les Engagés reminded both politicians that "there are still refugees sleeping on the streets," according to Yvan Verougstraete, the party's political coordinator.
Furthermore, he added that multiple ministries such as defence and mobility could open up spaces for asylum seekers or at least shorten the current procedure.
