Comments on: Brussels crime: EU expats need to get active

By: One more

One more — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:39:39 +0000

I was just beaten up by two drug dealers only 20 meters from the jewellery in Chausseé de Wavre where the murder happened some time ago. I was attacked for no reason–the guys didn’t even bother to steal my wallet. The policemen with whom I spoke suggested that I do not file a complaint. They said that the drug dealers who did it might retaliate against me, and in any event, even if I were able to identify them, the police could not arrest them or do anything about it (“they will be back in the street the next day”). They expressed their frustration with this situation and said the Belgian judiciary system would not allow them to do anything against those guys, even though incidents become more and more frequent.

@Anne (“it is quite funny to have EU fonctionnaires complaining about the non efficiency of the Belgian State, when they are not paying taxes here”): this is about the most obnoxious thing you could possibly say to people who have become victim of a crime.

First, EU officials like me cannot chose their place of work (most officials I know would happily move to London or Barcelona did they have any choice to do their jobs elsewhere). Second, the fact that the institutions are in Brussels means in incredible influx of money for Brussels (mostly financed by taxes from the other 26 Member States). If the institutions were to move away, public finances and economic power in Brussels would massively deteriorate in an instant. Third, the whole attitude behind your comment is politically disgusting. According to your logic, whoever is unemployed would have no right to protection from physical violence anymore because “they are not paying taxes here”.

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:35:28 +0000

@Still in Shock – this is a horrible story but I’m afraid that it doesn’t shock me now… My experience of dealing with the Brussels police has been rather similar, although I’ve not been a victim myself. I suppose it’s “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”.

By: Still in shock

Still in shock — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:44:27 +0000

Just 2 days ago in Brussels, while sitting in the passenger seat of a car, someone smashed my window and grabbed my purse which was on my lap. By the time I realised what had happened, he was 50 meters away, running down the sidewalk. This, in broad daylight, right in front of a streetcar stop. There were at least 15 people standing there who witnessed the crime. When the police arrived, they didn’t even bother asking if anyone had seen what had happened….if anyone could describe the thief. Nothing. They just told me that this thing happens here, that one has to be careful.

By: E.U. Lobbyists Complains Over Unfair Treatment « Econotwist's Blog

E.U. Lobbyists Complains Over Unfair Treatment « Econotwist's Blog — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:08:46 +0000

[...] Brussels crime: EU expats need to get active (jonworth.eu) [...]

By: another realist

another realist — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:15:15 +0000

here the title story from Financial Times Deutschland today:

http://www.ftd.de/politik/europa/:beamte-als-kriminellen-opfer-in-bruessels-europaviertel-boomt-das-verbrechen/50085625.html

I want to believe that the interview in “Die Welt” is just a bad joke.

By: Elated

Elated — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:55:26 +0000

Short summary…

“No there is no problem. The Flemish invented it”
–> funny this. Just yesterday the MR (and that’s as francophone as they get in Brussels) basically called for bootcamps to lock up troubled youth. Factually untrue perhaps, but did manage to insult the Flemish, … SCORE

“For this non-existing problem we need lots of money”
A bit of of a flagrant contradiction with the immediately preceding … SCORE
(btw the Belgian federal court of auditors requested the Brussels communes and region two years ago to clean up the spagetti of intransparant money flows… still no follow-up on that one. Meanwhile Belgium most have the highest ratio of policemen/tax-payers… with a wollop extra of them in one tof the 6 Brussels zones)

“Expats drive up rents and restaurant prices”.
Insulted some other people… SCORE
(btw the Brussels region is kept afloat financially by death/estate taxes… no problem taking the money there)

Way to shoot yourself in the foot.

“Aber gleichzeitig werden die Mieten teurer, die Restaurants. ….. Sie alle nutzen unsere Infrastruktur, unsere Straßen, sie wollen keine Staus und eine funktionierende Polizei. Aber sie zahlen niemals zurück, was sie uns kosten. Das ist unfair.”

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:34:31 +0000

@realist – I agree it’s an incredible reaction. First he denies there’s any issue, and then blames everyone possible for the problem… But on the EU side there’s also little engagement. Problem is this episode seems to show both sides moving further and further apart. I’ll try to blog more about it when I find a moment.

By: realist

realist — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:28:53 +0000

I still cannot believe that the mayor of Brussels said those things…
The high rates of criminality is a problem for everybody, not just for the officials of the EU. Afterall the woman shot last week was Belgian and not an official, or am I wrong?
Officials do not pay direct taxes to the Belgian state, but what about the indirect? Just think about the taxes on real estate, cars or the VAT…
And if officials cannot complain of the Belgian state because there were “not” paying taxes here, to whom should they complain? To their home countiries? And what about the Belgian officials of the EU who do not pay taxes to Belgium, to whom should they complain?