Belgium will withdraw federal police protection from the Jewish quarter of Antwerp from 1 January, despite continued high threat levels and rising antisemitism. The decision has prompted intense criticism from local leaders, who warn that it risks leaving the Jewish community less protected at a time of heightened danger, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The change means that the 16 federal police officers currently assigned to safeguarding Antwerp’s Jewish quarter will no longer be deployed after the start of the new year. Mayor Els van Doesburg confirmed the decision during an appearance on the television programme De Tafel van Gert and later described it as “incomprehensible.”
Van Doesburg said the Jewish community in Belgium has been under an increased security threat since 2014, which led to the long-term deployment of both federal and local police officers. She explained that security in the Jewish quarter has operated on a shared basis, with federal and local forces each providing roughly half of the personnel. “It’s a fifty-fifty split,” she said, warning that the withdrawal of federal officers means “half of the effort suddenly disappears.”
She stressed that there must be no reduction in protection for the area, stating that “there must be no vacuum in the safety of the Jewish quarter in Antwerp.” The mayor’s comments reflect broader concerns within the Jewish community, which has faced growing antisemitic incidents across Europe in recent years.
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed that the federal police deployment would end but insisted that the security of Jewish sites remains “an absolute priority.” He did not immediately explain how the loss of federal officers would be compensated or whether additional local resources would be provided.
The decision comes amid a wider surge in antisemitic threats and hate crimes internationally, raising concerns that reduced visible security could increase risks for Jewish residents and institutions in Antwerp.
Photo credit: JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
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