The Mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close (Francophone socialist PS) has pointed the finger at the Flemish port of Antwerp as one of the causes of the surge in drug-related violence in the Belgian and Flemish capital. “The drugs don’t just parachute in here. Why aren’t they taking more action up in Antwerp?” the mayor wondered aloud on Brussels broadcaster BX1.
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Brussels mayor fingers Port of Antwerp as the cause of drug-related violence in the capital
Colin Clapson
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“One gets the impression that the Prime Minister (Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever) and perhaps also his entourage, such as the Justice Minister (Annelies Verlinden -Flemish Christian democrat) and the Finance and Customs Minister (Jan Jambon – Flemish nationalist) – all three of whom are from Antwerp – want to protect the Port of Antwerp. What does the public think now that we are not taking tougher action up in Antwerp?”
In Brussels, in recent weeks, there have been shooting incidents in the boroughs of Sint-Gillis, Anderlecht and Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. As a result, Belgian politicians are engaged in a heated debate over who is responsible for these incidents.
According to the latest figures from the Belgian Finance Ministry, 5.4 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the port of Antwerp-Bruges in the first half of this year, compared with over 16 tonnes in the same period last year. In neighbouring France and the Netherlands, however, the number of seizures actually rose. In Antwerp, on the other hand, more cannabis was seized.