Asylum Minister wants government to appeal against ruling on IS women's return
The Federal Minister responsible for Asylum and Migration has said in a television interview that the Federal Government will appeal against a court ruling obliging Belgium to repatriate two woman that are members of the terror group IS and are currently in a refugee camp in Syria. Although a formal decision on whether to appeal against the ruling still needs to be made, Maggie De Block (Flemish liberal) says that it will be taken “in the next few days”.
Last week a judge at a court in Brussels issued an interim order that the two women should be brought back to Belgium together with their children.
Now Maggie De Block has said in an interview with the lunchtime news on the commercial television channel VTM that as the Minister responsible for asylum and migration she will insist that the government appeals against the ruling.
“These two IS women have consciously and repeatedly turned their back on our country. Them expecting us to now go and collect them is a bridge too far. It is laughing in their faces”, Ms De Block wrote on her website.
However, Ms De Block was keen to stress that women’s 6 children would be helped. “I refuse to punish children for the deeds of their parents. These innocent children never chose IS. I can accept that they are brought to our country.
Ms De Block’s view was shared by the leader of the Flemish liberals Gwendolyn Rutte. Speaking in an interview with the VRT’s lunchtime television news said that while the children should be brought (back) here, the mothers should stay where they are.