Jean Spinette's motto is "acquiescence is the suicide of everyday life." The Socialist mayor of Saint-Gilles, one of 19 municipalities in the Brussels region, is adamant that he "won't give an inch" in his fight to ensure the safety of users and residents of the Brussels-Midi station, located in his municipality.
This neighborhood is back in the headlines because every day it's the scene of a dozen or so incidents of delinquency, some very serious, which have ended up worrying the federal authorities. Spinette has been concerned about the area since the early 2000s, and for a long time, he felt alone in denouncing the unsanitary nature of the premises and the violence reigning there. There are the ravages of crack cocaine, the shortcomings of the federal police and the absence of the services in charge of asylum policy. After their apprehension by local police the day before, a deteriorating justice system releases delinquents the next day.
Inaugurated in 1869, Belgium's largest railway station is a flagship at the heart of the kingdom's most important rail hub. It takes its name from the Midi line, which linked Brussels to France as early as 1840. Brussels-Midi sees some 50,000 people passing through daily and is the gateway for travelers from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands on board Thalys, Eurostar or ICE trains, not to mention overnight trains arriving from Vienna and elsewhere.
Whether it's tourists, people on business or international civil servants, not everyone has learned the rules. Avoid walking alone, watch your wallet and cell phone, don't yield to begging, etc. "I arrive on Monday and jump into a cab, leave on Thursday evening and walk quickly to the train. I have to admit, I'm scared," confided an executive from a major French company.
Recently, one visitor unaware of the disastrous security situation in and around the station was trying to find his way around and entered what regulars refer to as "the corridor of evil." "He came out without his money and papers, but with a black eye," said Ahmed from the Taxis Verts company, half amused, half dismayed.
"This isn't the station of my constituency, but the station of the capital of Europe, of a country, of three regions!" said Mayor Spinette. He condemned "the political blindness of some and the determination of others to condemn the alleged failure of Brussels institutions above all else." It's true that the Dutch-speaking press and politicians are never slow to criticize regional management in Brussels. The question of security at Bruxelles-Midi has been reignited by the story of a family from Antwerp who were forced to spend the night on the outskirts of the station.
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