For about two weeks, the Basilica of Koekelberg has been the target of vandalism. Stone throwing has increased, damaging the magnificent building in Brussels. The director of the site, herself a target, denounces a situation that has become “untenable”. “It’s crazy that there is so much senseless vandalism that can injure or even kill!”
According to Martine Motteux-Abeloos, the church’s deputy rector, the acts were committed by young teenagers who had come on scooters or by adults travelling by car. On Tuesday, a brick flew past just 50 cm from her head while she was in her office. “The situation is becoming untenable and colleagues are starting to get seriously scared. It’s crazy that there is so much senseless vandalism that can injure or even kill. I never thought that you have to fear for your life in the Basilica,” she lamented on Facebook, adding photos of the damage.
“These vandalising children act day and night, no one is safe. What about being safe? This senseless vandalism far exceeds the police’s ability to intervene. We will soon have to resort to private security services,” she continues. (…) 7sur7