Around 1,000 people, mainly employees of the public social welfare centre, gathered in the Nieuw Gent neighbourhood of Ghent on Monday to commemorate a colleague who was killed last week during a home visit.
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1,000 people gather to pay respects and show solidarity after killing of social worker in Ghent
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As they did during a moment of silence at the city hall the day after Wednesday’s killing, people expressed their support for the victim’s family and immediate colleagues.
Besides social services staff, many locals attended the event. Most were dressed in black, and some carried white balloons or white roses.
“I still can’t believe what happened last week,” said one person who had worked closely with the victim for a long time. “We have lost someone who was always there for his colleagues and who was kind to everyone, someone who always put his clients first.”
We have lost someone who was always there for his colleagues and who was kind to everyone, someone who always put his clients first
“I felt I really had to be here today,” said a local resident. “Not only to express my support for the family, but also to offer encouragement to the many employees. They work hard every day to make this neighbourhood a positive place, and it is important that we value their work.”
Police found the victim, a 56-year-old social worker, dead in an apartment on Kikvorsstraat in Nieuw Gent after he failed to return from an appointment. He had been stabbed.
The suspect, a 38-year-old resident of the apartment with no known criminal record, was arrested a short distance away and questioned. His motive remains unclear and a decision on his detention is due to be made on Tuesday.
Measures will be considered to make the work of employees safer during a meeting between the city and trade unions on Monday. Out of respect, the centre’s offices in the city were closed after the incident, but most will reopen on Monday afternoon.
A similar, smaller gathering took place in Mechelen, with around 50 employees of the social services department observing a minute’s silence.
It’s also on the minds of our employees, and we want to give them a moment to reflect on it
“What happened there is terrible. This is a way of expressing our solidarity with our colleagues in Ghent, because I think everyone sympathises with them,” said general director Gert Eeraerts.
“On the other hand, it’s also on the minds of our employees, and we want to give them a moment to reflect on it. Most home visits go well, and we want to continue to show our closeness to the people of Mechelen ... I don’t think we can do our job by locking ourselves away. But in the coming days and weeks, we will assess whether measures are sufficient to guarantee safety.”