Brussels Prime Minister Vervoort (PS) defends himself after chaos Paleizenstraat: “We have been paying for years for a power that is not ours” | Interior

Yesterday, the Brussels Region and Schaerbeek proceeded to evacuate the building in Rue des Palais where hundreds of people, mainly asylum seekers, had been staying for weeks in appalling conditions. However, the operation was chaotic: 163 people were apparently transferred to a hotel in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw in Flanders without prior warning, dozens of others had to spend the night on the street in Brussels.

The local government of the municipality, the police zone and the Flemish government stated on Wednesday that they had not been informed of the course of events. But according to the Vervoort cabinet, there was indeed contact with other authorities beforehand. The Prime Minister himself confirms this in a reaction to ‘VTM NEWS’. “Everyone was present around the table, but we ourselves were not aware that some of those people would have to go to Flanders.”

According to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, it is clear that the situation “did not turn out as it should”. De Croo says it is “not the time to start pointing the finger”, but he did point out that the eviction happened through Schaarbeek and Brussels and that the decision to accommodate people in a hotel was not a federal decision . “I understand that people wanted to evacuate the squat”, but “it seems logical to me that a mayor is informed about this”, he said.

Vervoort bounces the ball back: “We have been paying for years for a power that does not belong to the Brussels region. If everyone did their job, there would always be a positive outcome. The eviction was not perfect, but there will be a solution.”

LOOK ALSO. An impressive police force had to nip fights at the squat in the bud

The chaos also stirred up the mood in the Chamber. CD&V and Open VLD point the finger at Brussels, PS, Ecolo and Groen explicitly look in the direction of State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor. CD&V MP Franky Demon jumped into the breach on Thursday afternoon during question time for State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, his party colleague. He explicitly pointed the finger at Brussels. “A scout leader would have handled the evacuation better,” he accused Brussels Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS), to the delight of the right-wing opposition.

Open VLD, the party of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, is also looking at Brussels. “You cannot accommodate 163 asylum seekers in a hotel on the territory of another region without informing the government,” said the liberal party leader Maggie De Block, former State Secretary for Asylum and Migration.

LOOK ALSO. For some there was simply no place: “People spent the night on the street here”