A building in the Kroonlaan in Elsene (Brussels) occupied by eighty people since the end of January was to be cleared at 7 am on Monday morning, but the eviction was cancelled at the last minute. Due to plans for the residents to move to another Brussels borough, Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, the eviction cannot go ahead. It was the Rockin'Squat Collective, which is coordinating the occupation, that publicised this new development.
It was the actions of a bailiff that prevented Monday’s planned evictions. Police informed the occupiers at 6am.
About 80 people have been staying in the former care home in Elsene since the end of January including families with children. The people in the building have different stories: some are undocumented migrants, others are going through the asylum procedure but the Belgian state has failed to provide any board and lodging despite the legal requirement saying that it is bound to do so.
Heading for a property near Montgomery
Previous attempts to evict the residents from the building were also cancelled. Fedasil, the federal asylum agency and the future tenant of the building, had July 7 set in an agreement with the municipal authorities in Elsene as the date for an eviction. Elsene mayor Christos Doulkeridis (Francophone green/Ecolo) says the residents will be able to move into a building in the Montgomery area of Brussels in July.
Rockin'Squat, had however, asked to be allowed to occupy the building on Kroonlaan until early August so that the residents could take delivery of the keys to the new premises and "calmly prepare for a move."
Fedasil had earlier expressed its intention of taking charge of the Kroonlaan building "as soon as possible, with a view to accommodating asylum seekers."