Brussels Immigration Office attacked by activists

Brussels Immigration Office attacked by activists
Brussels Immigration Office as illustration. Credit: Belga

Brussels Immigration Office was reportedly the target of political vandalism on Wednesday night, with the office coming under attack by activists who are frustrated by the way the Office deals with immigration and refugee claims.

The messages "Office of shame!" and "Resign!" were tagged on the windows on both sides of the entrance, while resignation letters under the name of several employees were also stuck on the doors.

The activists have stated that the action is in response to a previous occupation of the Office's hall building on 14 April, where around twenty people were administratively arrested.

Similar attacks have also taken place on 8 April, which State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Sammy Mahdi called "disrespectful", stating that the people working at the Immigration Office work on a "correct migration policy".

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Activists campaign against the existence of strong and discriminatory border policies as well as the selectivity of reception.

Their demands call on employees to stop applying the current migration policy, to resign in protest, and to push for the immediate regularisation of undocumented migrants, who are stuck in a bureaucratic limbo.

Tensions between refugees and the authorities have been ongoing, which last summer escalated into a mass hunger strike by hundreds of refugees in Brussels who were demanding to have their immigration status regularised after months of waiting.

Last month, Belgium ordered 680 Afghan asylum seekers to return to their home country, while also seeing a drop in Ukrainian refugees arriving in the country.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has proposed attracting more North African migrant workers to the continent to make up for the labour shortage in Europe.


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