Moroccan-Origin Teachers Allege Racism in Belgian Public School

Sarah, Marie (pseudonym), Nadia, Fatima (pseudonym) and Nour (pseudonym) describe what they have been suffering in this public school in Charleroi for a few months. The accusations are serious enough. The victims speak of harassment, xenophobia and racism. Sarah would be incompetent, late, without equipment, with "students who obviously are not used to working," according to management reports that La Dernière Heure has accessed. Her way of speaking is also criticized. Yet she was praised by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles who inspected her.

Marie (pseudonym) also says she has been harassed since she dared to defend Sarah. Fatima (pseudonym), also a victim of harassment by management, with incessant summons for one reason or another, ended up leaving the institution. "I had to be picked up with a spoon. They yelled at me, harassed me day and night, with SMS and emails at 10pm, midnight, 1am. I only felt hatred and meanness. Management also ended up firing me from the internship..." says Nour (pseudonym), who was an intern in the institution during her studies.

Rumors have it that the management "lacks tact." Listening to the victims’ testimonies, xenophobia and racism are perceptible. The management of the educational center and some staff members would have made racist remarks towards these victims of Maghrebi or Arab origin. Choice excerpts: "I don’t know how it is in your country, but here with us [...]", "If you don’t like it, go back home", "An Arab French teacher, that’s not common", "Those people", "The other Arab only hires like her", "People like you lack education", etc.

Yet these women were born in Belgium and have always lived there. The victims have contacted the city authorities, but have not received a satisfactory response. Alderman Julie Patte takes the accusations "very seriously". "The files have been reported to me, agents are complaining of harassment and racism, but I also have elements coming from management and administration: things are not that simple, which is why the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles has been called in to clarify," she says. An investigation will be opened soon.