Kortrijk Mosque permit approved
In February 2022, Vlaams Belang went to the Council for Permit Disputes against the permit of the Kortrijk mosque. According to her, the mosque does not belong in a residential area because it is too large. The party also fears an increase in mobility and additional parking pressure for the area.
The plans were politically and legally challenged by Vlaams Belang Kortrijk for more than seven years. But protest marches, petitions, objections, … did not prevent the city council of Kortrijk, the permanent deputation of West Flanders and now also the Council of Permit Disputes from giving the green light to this project.
Wouter Vermeersch (Vlaams Belang): “Thanks to a continuous political and legal battle, we have been able to stop the largest mosque in Flanders since 2015. Today, however, we have to conclude that in this country it has become easier to open a mega-mosque, in the middle of a residential area, in the heart of our city than, say, to get a permit for a football stadium. But that does not mean that we bury the political hatchet. We will strictly monitor the permit conditions and operating rules in the coming months and years. We also call on local residents and residents of Kortrijk to systematically report any form of nuisance to us and the assembled political class to pay the bill at the next elections.”