Tensions between Turks and Kurds are rising in Ghent. — © Het Nieuwsblad
The Ghent police are sending extra troops to the streets to prevent the tension between the Turks and Kurds from leading to further incidents. The police made this clear after a café was attacked on Tuesday night. There are calls on social media to take to the streets again.
The tension between the Turkish and Kurdish communities is increasing day after day in Ghent. On Monday evening, a group of Turkish men showed up at the gate of the town hall to demand redress. Last week there was a fight at Dok Noord.
And on Tuesday night the police had to work for hours to try to calm a large group of Turkish men. Calls to return to the streets on Wednesday evening are circulating on social media, both in Turkish and Kurdish circles. The nerves are tense.
Turkish men destroyed a café in the Brugse Poort. — © IF
Of good will
The Ghent police have mainly tried to talk in recent days, hoping to avoid problems. On Tuesday evening, hundreds of young Turkish men gathered at the Nieuwevaart. Calls for gathering were made via messages and social media.
The Ghent police arrived en masse and brought in Mayor De Clercq to talk to the group. This is called ‘de-escalation’ in the jargon: talking in the hope of preventing problems. If there is more heavy-handed action, the fear is that the situation will escalate
At the Nieuwevaart the police talked to the group. “Plenty of time was taken to hear everyone’s views and provide clarification where necessary,” the statement said. “The final decision was that the majority of Turkish young people have good will, express their emotions but do not commit crimes.”
On Monday evening, Turks came to town hall to seek redress. It had just closed at the time. — © bst
Right in your own hands
But later that evening things got out of hand. In the Brugse Poort, a group of Turkish men smashed a Kurdish café. There were no injuries and no one was arrested. “It is of course impossible to avoid all incidents as they often occur within a few minutes,” the statement reads.
The police are trying to track down those responsible, to make it clear that the attack is not without consequences. “Taking the law into our own hands will not be tolerated in any way. There is an essential difference between making a voice and emotions heard, and vandalizing and looting a café at night.”
The force calls on the people of Ghent for help. “All information is welcome and can be transferred via the Ghent police reporting point.” It is also called for to help prevent the “arrival of foreign troublemakers” and “people from both communities who are not from Ghent”. These people will be followed with “special attention”, the police say.
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