The decision to cancel a football match between Belgium and Israel in Brussels for “security reasons” has been met with indignation by politicians across Belgium. The reasoning behind the cancellation highlights how the left-wing elite has succumbed to the pressure of pro-Palestinian protesters in a country with an ever-growing Muslim population.
The Belgian national team is set to play Israel on September 6th in the UEFA Nations League competition. Israel has played in European competitions since 1994 because several Muslim countries refused to compete against them, and they were excluded from Asian tournaments.
The city of Brussels announced on Wednesday, June 19th, that it “considers it impossible to organise a Belgium-Israel match” in the capital. They stated:
After a careful and in-depth analysis, we must conclude today that the announcement of such a match in our capital in these particularly troubled times will undoubtedly lead to large demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, jeopardising the safety of spectators, players, Brussels residents and our police forces.
Israel’s war against the Palestinian terror organisation Hamas in Gaza, which began last October, has sparked global demonstrations, including in Belgium, where pro-Palestinian activists have organised protests and sit-ins at universities. Muslims—mostly from a Moroccan or Turkish background—make up about 7% of the total population. The streets of Brussels, bus stops, tram stops, and lampposts are abundant with anti-Israel graffiti and stickers, while some apartment windows have Palestinian flags on display—signalling a clear antisemitic sentiment in parts of the city.
Last month, ticket sales for the Belgium-Israel match were paused because of security concerns, and the Belgian Football Association was prepared to play the game without any fans in attendance. “However, we deplore the decision taken by the city of Brussels not to hold the match at our home ground at all,” they said in a statement.
Georges-Louis Bouchez, Chairman of the Belgian centrist party, the Reformist Movement, also denounced the move, saying:
Our capital can’t even welcome the Israeli team anymore. Can you imagine what that means for our democracy? A liberal democracy that is no longer capable of hosting a democratic country? Even the worst dictatorships do not suffer this humiliation. We ask the mayor of Brussels to take responsibility by allowing the organisation of the competition.
Gautier Calomne, a local district councillor in Brussels, tweeted: “Brussels is capable of securing the safety of EU summits, NATO meetings, the visits of American presidents, but not the visit of 11 Israeli football players. Who or what are we afraid of?”
Brussels has been on security alert even before the war in Gaza started, with Belgium being hit repeatedly by extremist attacks. Last year, a soccer game between Belgium and Sweden was suspended after a Tunisian terrorist fatally shot two Swedes in Brussels before kickoff.
The match is unlikely to be played in another part of Belgium, as cities like Genk have declined to host the game for the same security reasons. “If the Brussels police can’t guarantee safety, then that certainly won’t be the case for Genk,” Mayor Wim Dries said.
The Israeli national team’s other matches have gone ahead as planned: they played Kosovo and Andorra in November, and Hungary in June, with fans attending all games. Hungary has allowed Israel to play its “home” games in Hungary while the war lasts, with Israel taking on Switzerland, Romania, and Iceland in Hungarian stadiums. Israel’s Ambassador to Hungary, Yacov Hadas-Handelsman praised the conservative Budapest government for hosting these matches and said in an interview with the daily Magyar Nemzet:
Hungary is almost the only place on the continent where a practising religious Jew can freely walk the streets without having anything to fear.
