Court suspends plan for migrant reception centre in Uccle

A Brussels court has temporarily suspended the planned opening of a migrant reception centre in Uccle.

The reception centre was planned for the former care home on Rue Beeckman and would provide accommodation for 230 asylum seekers, mainly families with children but also single men, women and unaccompanied minors.

A total of 35 staff members are due to work at the centre, which would be managed by Samusocial and was originally due to open on 14 July.

The suspension comes after local residents complained about a lack of information and consultation.

They launched a petition called "Save Uccle" on 22 June, which has since gathered more than 1,300 signatures.

In it, they call for a temporary suspension of the project until a public debate and a formal public consultation have taken place. They also want the impact assessments and safety reports to be published.

“The requested suspension is intended to allow for a transparent investigation into the technical and administrative aspects, as well as their local implications, before a final decision is taken,” write the petition’s initiators.

The court order is temporary and residents have initiated full legal proceedings against the establishment of the centre. A preliminary hearing took place on 8 July but the case was adjourned until 20 July.

The asylum centre has been a source of controversy in Uccle for several weeks. The local council asked the police to launch an investigation into hate messages and calls for violence on social media towards the end of June.

Samusocial’s managing director Sarah de Liamchine indicated that these posts were causing concern amongst the centre’s future residents and staff.

De Liamchine is unhappy with the decision to suspend the opening of the centre.

“I have just told dozens of women, men and children that the move has been postponed,” she wrote in a social media post.

“For days now, they have been living with the bare minimum. Some of their belongings have already been moved. Anything non-essential has already been packed away, including the toys of dozens of children. I’ve had to tell them that the wait will be longer.”

De Liamchine said the controversy around the centre had made the migrants feel unwelcome.

“I told them it wasn’t their fault, but they still feel they aren’t welcome, that they’re seen as a burden, rather than as people who are simply looking for a place to live, to build a new life and to raise their children,” De Liamchine said.

“One of the children asked me: ‘Should we be afraid when we move? Will we be safe? Is there a risk of reprisals?’ This question touches me deeply. It illustrates the disastrous effect of negative emotions: fear leads to more fear.”

She went on to describe the logistical challenges of the temporary suspension, which resulted in a hasty reorganisation of accommodations for 200 people.

“Apart from the practical issues surrounding parking spaces and noise in the garden - which are being cited to thwart this project - the real question is what kind of society we want: one driven by fear, or one that prioritises human dignity,” said De Liamchine, emphasising that there have been shows of solidarity amid the controversy.

“Every day, members of the public, neighbours and volunteers send us messages of support and help us settle into this new place.

"Over the coming days, I will hold fast, not to an ideal of a world with greater solidarity and dignity, but to the certainty that such a world already exists."