The family of 11-year-old Fabian, who died during a police chase in Ganshoren (Brussels) on Monday held a farewell ceremony in the Elisabeth Park, where the teen was killed, today. In a message the family asks for justice. ‘This was one chase too many. This has to stop.’
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Farewell ceremony for Brussels youngster killed in police chase (VIDEO)
Colin Clapson
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‘Fabian was a gentle, cheerful, curious boy,’ the family's message reads. ‘He loved learning, playing, laughing with those close to him, and would be celebrating his birthday in a few days. He had his whole life ahead of him. He rode a scooter, like so many children his age, but last Monday his ride was brutally ended. Hit during a police chase, he died on the spot.’
‘Today a whole city is in shock,’ the family continued. ‘Fabian will not be just another name in the statistics, we demand the truth, we demand justice. And we want people to wake up. This was one pursuit too many. This has to stop.’
The family held a farewell service in the park. His mum and stepbrothers surrounded Fabian's coffin. Candles and flowers are placed on the coffin.
The French-speaking and Flemish children's rights commissioners were also present. ‘We are standing here out of solidarity’. ‘The pain cannot be expressed in words,’ says Solayman Laqdim. He also lashes out at the ‘silence of the politicians’. ‘This dehumanises Fabian.’
When the coffin was placed in the hearse, bystanders chanted ‘Justice pour Fabian’ (‘Justice for Fabian’).
On Monday night, 11-year-old Fabian was on his way home on an electric scooter when police wanted to stop him, presumably because he was too young to use an electric scooter. For an unclear reason, the boy fled. The police pursued him, resulting in the fatal collision.
The Brussels prosecutor's office has handed the investigation into the accident over to the Committee P, the watchdog that monitors Belgium’s police services.