Belgian Politicians Clash Over Moroccan Dual Citizenship and Social Benefits

It all started with the controversy born after Georges-Louis Bouchez’s remarks who denounced on Wednesday on Bel RTL the fraud of social benefits in Belgium. "There are people who have houses in Morocco and who receive social benefits in Belgium," declared the MR president. These statements sparked a strong reaction from the Belgian-Moroccan community. "These houses we’re talking about were often built in the 70s-80s, by the first generation that emigrated to Belgium. These people worked hard all their lives so that their children could inherit this heritage. When we speak negatively about these properties to their children, we’re attacking a very intimate part of their identity," commented a Brussels socialist of Moroccan origin.

With his remarks, Georges-Louis Bouchez "stigmatizes the Moroccan community" and "seeks the votes of racist voters," Ridouane Chahid reacted on Friday on BX1. The controversy is growing on social media. "When you go to meet the Moroccan communities in Brussels, what are you going to tell them? [...] Have you forgotten where you come from, who you are?" Naima Belkhatir, PS municipal councilor of Schaerbeek, launched at the four MR deputies of Moroccan origin in a video broadcast on Facebook. For his part, Hassan Rahali (PS), president of the municipal council of Molenbeek, in a video on TikTok, asked the "royal (Moroccan) cabinet to take up this subject" and the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs to "speak so that no one dares to attack Moroccans anymore, we are not a doormat." Last Thursday, the official launched a petition demanding apologies or the resignation of Georges-Louis Bouchez.

On Facebook, unidentified accounts attacked the four MR deputies, calling them "cowards without dignity." Some socialist elected officials posted stigmatizing visuals about these MR elected officials. "This refers the MR elected officials back to their origins, for which they apparently have to account while they are Belgian... This type of campaign creates sub-categories of population linked to origins. This is not our conception of living together," declares the deputy of Moroccan origin Sofia Bennani (Les Engagés), denouncing the "stigmatizing" form of this campaign, because the PR president only talks "about Morocco." For its part, the Brussels PS assured La Libre that it "is not behind and plays no role in this social media campaign."

"Constantly bringing someone back to their origin is racism. This smear campaign is despicable... They put a target on our backs by throwing us to the wolves in Facebook groups of 15,000 to 20,000 members. I refuse to be put in a single box: I am a Belgian elected official, born in Belgium, feminist, liberal, and universalist. This campaign that constantly brings us back only to our origin is the opposite of the anti-racist struggle. As if, when you were of Moroccan origin, you could only be left-wing..." denounces Loubna Azghoud (MR), Brussels deputy, emphasizing that this campaign aims to "put a lot of pressure on elected officials of diversity to make them bend, and to ensure that they join the PS."