What does it say about the European Union that its capital has become so violent that officials are resorting to deploying soldiers?
We at europeanconservative.com have long reported on regular shootings across Brussels, despite efforts by some officials to downplay the violence. But even they must find it difficult to deny Brussels Public Prosecutor Julien Moinil’s words that “anyone, every Brussels resident and every citizen, can be hit by a stray bullet.”
Moinil says much of this violence is linked to drug trafficking and gang disputes over territory, and has criticised politicians for their lenient approach.
Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin added this week that the problem is not limited to guns, nor to Brussels:
Grenades and Molotov cocktails are being thrown in Antwerp. There are also problems in Liège, Charleroi and Ghent.
We therefore wanted to come up with a comprehensive plan for the major cities. We are starting with Brussels, because that is where the problem is greatest.
Quintin told The Brussels Times that this plan involves having soldiers on the streets in the EU capital.
In a separate interview with De Standaard, he said that “the army must defend the integrity of the territory.”
Soldiers usually do this at our borders or far beyond. But the war against drug crime also falls under the protection of our territory.
Just last week, a teenager was left in critical condition after being shot in central Brussels. And the city’s murder rate last month rose to the second-highest in the EU.
Quintin described the dominance of criminal gangs as a “catastrophe,” insisting that officials are now working towards “tackling every link in the chain.”
Donald Trump’s administration has also this week offered to help crush Belgium’s cocaine cartels, saying it is important to be “aggressive” with these organisations.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
