Brussels Shopkeepers Demand Action as Gang Violence Escalates in Brabant Street

Brabant Street was the scene of another shooting on Tuesday. One too many, denounce the shopkeepers who deplore the lack of responsiveness from authorities in the face of the alarming rise in crime in the neighborhood. The day before, on Monday, a brawl between two rival gangs, French of Algerian and Moroccan origin, turned tragic. "Two rival gangs who want to take over the same territory, from the entrance of Gare du Nord to Linné Street. It’s a very lucrative dealing spot, otherwise they wouldn’t come with machetes and firearms," explains Mohamed El Hajaiji, president of the shopkeepers’ association, to La Dernière Heure.

According to witnesses, a man was hit during the shooting where three shots were fired. "Real mafia symbols. It’s the first time I’ve seen something like this in Europe. When the guy shot, he was shaking, he was an amateur. All young people under 30," El Hajaiji says indignantly. Violence in the city is not new, and such situations were to be expected, says Fouad, a shopkeeper on the street. "We alerted Mayor Cécile Jodoigne in September 2021. We told the municipal authorities that if these people stayed here, things would get out of hand. In four years, they’ve settled in, they’ve done business, and politicians are doing nothing."

This climate of insecurity affects the commercial activity of Brabant Street, "one of the busiest shopping streets in Brussels, known internationally." "This Monday we had tourists from everywhere, but what do people ultimately remember about our neighborhood? Drugs, shootings, insecurity. It’s becoming unbearable," regrets Fouad, who denounces the authorities’ inaction in strengthening security in the neighborhood: "We’ve never felt safe thanks to the municipality here. We inform them of the problems, but if they don’t relay it to the police, it’s sad. We asked for a permanent presence in the neighborhood. These dealers need to be controlled every day. In 30 minutes, we witness two drug sales in the middle of the street here. You’d have to be blind not to see it."

"There’s even dealing in front of the police station, it’s an admission of weakness. The dealers feel untouchable now," fumes another shopkeeper in anger. Anxiety is palpable in the neighborhood. "From 8 PM, it’s another world, a cutthroat place. There are assaults that aren’t even talked about," warns Jamal, owner of three shops, who had to "leave the neighborhood to live elsewhere." For Mohamed El Hajaiji, this problem is not unique to the North district but concerns the entire region. "There is a chronic lack of funding for security in Brussels. [...] Here, we’re left to fend for ourselves," laments the president of the Brabant Street shopkeepers.