Joint appeal for peace protects Brussels from riots between Kurds and Turks for the time being

Since the riots last Sunday in Houthalen-Helchteren and Heusden-Zolder, after the Newroz festival of the Kurds, tensions have been running high between members of the Kurdish and Turkish communities in our country.

That unrest spread to Luxemburgplein in Brussels on Monday, where 200 Kurds demonstrated in response to the riots the night before. That demonstration resulted in a massive brawl, “due to two people who were not part of the demonstration,” the Brussels Capital Ixelles police zone said. BRUZZ know.

Yet the nervousness between the two communities is far from over. On Wednesday night, the police in Ghent arrested 22 more people after vandalizing a Kurdish bakery. There has been a ban on gatherings in the East Flemish city since Thursday.

The situation in Brussels remains calm for the time being. In recent years, both groups have largely succeeded in living harmoniously side by side. About 60,000 members of the Turkish community live in the capital, compared to 5,000 to 10,000 Kurds. As a reminder, the Kurds are one of the largest peoples in the world without their own state. Their number is estimated at approximately 30 million worldwide.

Flare-ups

Despite the relative peace between the two communities, flare-ups have occurred in Brussels in recent years. An overview of the most notable incidents:

• 1998: several buildings in Sint-Joost-ten-Noode where Kurds live are set on fire
• 2007: Kurdish Institute is set on fire in Sint-Joost
• 2016: arson and pelting of the Kurdish Institute in Sint-Joost
• 2017: six injured after brawl at Turkish embassy
• 2019: Demonstrations against Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria in Brussels
• 2023: Fights between Kurds and Turks at the Heysel polling station in Turkish elections

Living together

“Today there are many Kurds in Brussels who disappear into the Turkish masses,” notes Orhan Kiliç, spokesperson for NAV-BEL, the Belgian Kurdish community organization. “The bottom line is that you can live together with Turks, but it is best not to show off your Kurdish identity.”