Military personnel will be deployed to support the police in securing sites associated with the Jewish community as soon as possible, Interior and Defense Ministers Bernard Quintin and Theo Francken announced on Monday.
In particular, military personnel will ensure the security of synagogues and Jewish schools. The decision was made following the attack last week against the synagogue in the city of Liège and similar attacks that occurred in the Netherlands and Norway against synagogues and a Jewish school.
“Against a backdrop of rising anti-Semitism, the attack that took place at the synagogue in Liège served as a stark reminder that the threat facing Belgium’s Jewish community is very real. Ensuring the safety of our fellow citizens is the responsibility of the state in all its forms, regardless of any other political considerations. The deployment of military personnel to reinforce security around Jewish sites will provide direct support to the police,” said Minister Quintin.
Following the attack in Liège, several political leaders, icluding the leader of the Liberal French-speaking MR party, Georges-Louis Bouche, called for the deployment of military personnel to ensure the security of places frequented by the Jewish community. The request was made by the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium (CCOJB).
For several weeks, a standoff has been underway in the governing coalition between the Christian-Democrat Flemish CD&V party on this issue; : the Christian Democrats do not reject the measure as such but have linked it to a plan by the Justice MinisterAnnelies Verlinden to relieve prison overcrowding, certain aspects of which have met with resistance from the MR.
A spokesperson fort he Justice Ministry criticized the decision to deploy the military ‘’which was not the subject of prior discussion within the government.” He said Minister Verlinden ”will very soon bring this matter before the Council of Ministers and will discuss with the Commissioner General the lack of resources within the police force, which he has highlighted, to carry out this mission.’’
This is not the first time the police have relied on the military to secure sites associated with the Jewish community. During Operation “Vigilant Guardian,” launched in 2015 in response to the terrorist threat in Belgium, military personnel had already carried out such a mission.