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Belgium: No Federal Cops in Jewish Quarter Starting January
A wave of antisemitic violence is sweeping the globe, from Manchester to Sydney. Despite the threats, Belgian authorities have decided to end the protection status for Antwerp's Jewish Quarter, halving the police presence in the area.
Belgium will withdraw federal police protection from Antwerp’s Jewish quarter starting January 1, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from local officials and Jewish leaders amid heightened global concern over antisemitic violence.
Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg confirmed that the 16 federal police officers currently assigned to protect the Jewish quarter will no longer be deployed after the end of the year. Speaking on the television talk show De Tafel van Gert, van Doesburg described the decision as “incomprehensible,” warning that it creates a dangerous security gap at a time of sustained threat.
“The Jewish community across the country has been under an increased threat level since 2014,” van Doesburg told the Belga news agency. She noted that security in the Jewish quarter has long been shared equally between federal and local police. “It’s a fifty-fifty split. So half of the effort suddenly disappears,” she said. “There must be no vacuum in the safety of the Jewish quarter in Antwerp.”
Antwerp is home to one of Europe’s largest Orthodox Jewish communities and has been a repeated target of terror plots and antisemitic attacks over the past decade. Federal police reinforcement has been a central pillar of security in the neighborhood, particularly following attacks on Jewish targets elsewhere in Europe.
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed the decision to end the federal deployment but sought to reassure the public, saying that the protection of Jewish sites remains “an absolute priority.” He did not immediately provide details on how the reduced federal presence would be offset or whether additional local resources would be allocated.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of rising antisemitism across Europe since October 2023, alongside frequent large-scale demonstrations in Belgian cities related to the Gaza war and multiple attacks in the past week around the world. Jewish organizations have repeatedly warned that protests and online incitement have translated into real-world threats.
Critics say the timing of the decision is especially troubling. With no clear replacement for the federal officers, concerns remain that Antwerp’s Jewish quarter will be left more vulnerable precisely when vigilance is most needed.