Crainhem – A Jewish cemetery in Kraainem, near Brussels, and its surrounding were spray-painted with swastikas and stars of David on Monday night.
The damage was discovered Tuesday morning by municipal employees responsible for the upkeep of the site.
The Kraainem police took note of the damage. They will be the subject of a report and a complaint against X. The inscriptions have since been cleaned up.
According to Kraainem mayor Bertrand Waucquez, this is the first time such acts have occurred in the commune. “We don’t know if there’s a link with the conflict in the Middle East. Nor do we know who the perpetrator or perpetrators are. Steps have been taken to find out,” he said.
The facts have been declared and reported to Unia, the independent public service for combating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. In October, this body expressed fears of “a resurgence of hate speech and acts, especially of an anti-Semitic nature” in connection with the escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas.
For the non-profit organization in charge of the cemetery, “this is clearly an anti-Semitic act, an act that denies the Constitution of our country, based on the union and acceptance of all, without distinction of gender, race, color or religion”. “We expect our national and regional authorities to strengthen citizenship education in our schools and to punish any anti-Semitic act very severely,’’said the Mutuelle Juive d’Inhumation (Jewish Mutual Burial Society). The cemetery guard service has been reinforced. “Our concern is to prevent this from happening again”, insisted Bertrand Waucquez.
