350 refugees are now squatting in a 7-storey office building in Sint-Stevens-Woluwe in Zaventem (Flemish Brabant). Most of the squatters hail from Moldova and Ukraine. The office block was empty before the refugees started squatting there.
The premises have been occupied for nearly two weeks now. Around 250 adults and some 100 children have taken up residence in the block owned by Warehouses & Offices. The company is taking action in the courts to clear the building. It’s already the fifth time this year that squatters have taken up residence in a building in Zaventem.
The local authorities are powerless to act because at the present there is no threat to security, but they are monitoring the situation.
Local police pay regular visits to establish the identify of squatters and are liaising with the squatters. “The block of flats hasn’t got showers or kitchens” says Nils Meert, head of Integrated Safety in Zaventem. “As a result people are using hotplates to cook. If the situation persists, we could see problems, because it’s dangerous”.
The town of Zaventem has set up a working party to examine how the persistent problem of squatting can be talked. It includes representatives of Integrated Safety, local social services, the environment department and the police. Talks are being held with proprietors of office buildings to examine the best way to cordon them off. Squatters are also receiving support.