About 60 people, mostly asylum seekers, were evacuated on Friday from the old “Allée du Kaai” in Avenue du Port, while their evacuation had been announced for Monday, says Yan Verhoeven, a volunteer with the movement. “Stop the reception crisis”, present on the scene. According to him, about forty asylum seekers as well as supporters refuse to leave the premises.
Most of the people occupying the space had been camping along the canal near the Small Castle for the past few months, before their camp was dismantled this week. The support committee says that the evacuation of the space was originally scheduled for Monday, March 13 and that the evacuation for this Friday has not been announced.
“We contacted the office of Rudi Vervoort and Alain Maron, who did not seem to be aware of the evacuation either”, specifies Yan Verhoeven. “Workers are already condemning the entrance to the building,” adds the volunteer. Not competent in the file, the office of Minister-President Rudi Vervoort did not wish to react.
The occupants would have been expelled from the center without being offered any alternative accommodation, “they were just put on the sidewalk”, explains the volunteer. A police order has been issued by the City of Brussels.
Asked by Belga, the Brussels-capital/Ixelles police zone declined to comment.
The office of the mayor of the City of Brussels, Philippe Close (PS) confirms the information and explains that the elected socialist took the decision on the basis of a note from Brussels-Environment, detailing that the occupation of the premises represented a danger to public safety. “A city truck will take the belongings brought by the organizations on site and bring them to the premises of Doctors Without Borders,” adds the cabinet. “For the moment, the City has no additional premises to offer to relocate them”, we are told.
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