Belgium has deployed military personnel to support Jewish community security amid rising antisemitic threats, Belgium’s Defense Minister Theo Francken and Interior Minister Bernard Quintin announced on Monday.
“The safety of every citizen must be guaranteed,” Francken said, adding that “antisemitism and hatred against Jews will never be tolerated.”
This comes one week after an Islamic resistance-aligned terror group carried out an explosion in a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, as well as similar-style attacks in the Netherlands. The group identified itself as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR).
The Liège attack prompted several Belgian politicians, including Antwerp mayor Els Van Doesburg of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), to call for increased protection of places frequented by the Jewish community. Her demand also received support from the Coordination Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium (CCOJB).
Soldiers of the Belgian Armed Forces (BAF) will protect synagogues and Jewish schools to lessen the burden on the police.
“In a context of growing antisemitism, the attack that took place at the Liège synagogue reminded us that the threat facing Belgium’s Jewish community is very real,” Quintin said in a statement.
“Ensuring the safety of our citizens is the responsibility of the state in all its components and beyond any political considerations. Deploying soldiers to strengthen security around Jewish sites will provide direct support to the police forces,” he added.
Reactions of European Jewish groups
CCOJB said the measures will offer Belgian Jews greater peace of mind. “Thank you to the soldiers for their protection,” it said in a statement.
The European Jewish Congress welcomed the decision.
It said that “The safety of synagogues, schools, and community spaces is essential.”
“This step sends an important signal that the protection of Jewish life is a priority and that concrete action is being taken in the face of rising antisemitism,” the EJC added. It also warned that the need for such heightened protection reflects “the very real security concerns faced by Jewish communities in Belgium and across Europe.”
Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium Michael Freilich said it is “good that action is finally being taken after a series of attacks on Jewish institutions.”
Antwerp MP Sam van Rooy, however, questioned why soldiers were needed, saying the federal government and the Antwerp city administration should be the ones to ensure that there are enough police officers to guard the Jewish neighborhood.
Additionally, Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden told the French-language Belgian daily Le Soir that the matter “was not discussed in advance within the government.”
Guarding against terror is not new in Belgium. In 2015, the BAF launched Operation Vigilant Guardian in collaboration with the police, to deal with the rising terrorist threat on its soil after the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks and lasted for just over six years.