Borgerhout residents form human chain in support of neighbourhood

De Wever called for “a clear signal from the neighbourhood” following an incident in which two police officers on cycle patrol were hassled by a group of youths last week in Borgerhout, home to many residents of foreign origin.

Officers had been alerted to a woman in the neighbourhood who was driving erratically. She ultimately crashed the car and attempted to flee on foot.

The two officers were attempting to restrain her when a group of young people began yelling and throwing objects at them. Both officers suffered minor injuries.

“I find it incomprehensible that a group of provocative, aggressive youths are yet again smearing the reputation of our city,” De Wever said. “I hope for a clear signal from the neighbourhood, not only to condemn these incidents, but to point out those responsible and to stress the need to respect the police.”

Neighbourhood residents who organised the peaceful protest on Sunday said on their Facebook page that they were concerned about the mayor’s tone and what they called “stigmatising whole groups of the population.” The incident followed comments De Wever had made earlier comparing residents of the Borgerhout district to the terrorists responsible for the recent attacks in Barcelona.

The demonstration was characterised by organisers as “a peaceful stroll” and included people joining hands in a human chain. The event passed off without incident.

“We want to give a peaceful signal, but one that says more than what we’ve seen in the press about aggression against police, which clearly cannot be defended,” said co-organiser Karen Verstraeten. “This neighbourhood is always described as a problem area, but in fact a lot of people live here in a perfectly respectable manner. We are sometimes upset by the negative reactions that criticise the whole neighbourhood.”