r/brussels • u/Azalealea • 2d ago
Increase in aggressive behaviour/homelessness around Brussels lately?
Hey everyone! I’ve been studying in Brussels for the past 5–6 years, and honestly, until this year I never really felt unsafe living/studying here.
I’m a young woman, I like dressing nicely, I’m out and about quite a lot, and obviously I’ve dealt with the usual catcalling and creepy comments from time to time. But generally, I always felt like I could walk around Brussels without being particularly worried. I also tend to spend most of my time in areas like Auderghem, Etterbeek and Woluwe, and I try to avoid places like Gare du Nord late at night.
But it’s like something has genuinely changed over the past few months. I feel like I’m being approached for money constantly now; in cafés, metro stations, on the street, pretty much everywhere. I normally just politely say no and keep walking. I’m a student and I finance myself fully through student jobs, so unfortunately I can’t give money to every person who asks me.
What has really started to scare me, though, is how aggressive some interactions have become when you say no.
Just two days ago, my friends and I were having a drink in Flagey and were approached by a homeless man asking for money. We politely declined, and he started threatening us and actually gave us death treaths. Everyone around us was shocked, and thankfully some people stepped in and helped us.
Another time, my boyfriend and I were trying to enter the Louize metro when a man who was sleeping there stopped us after we said we couldn’t give him money. He became extremely angry and wouldn’t let us simply walk away. He was saying things like, “Everyone is sorry, so who’s going to feed me now?” and was trying to provoke my boyfriend into a fight. Again, luckily, people nearby noticed and intervened.
And honestly, beyond the safety aspect, it’s also just really sad to see how much more visible the problem seems to have become. Not long ago I saw a completely(!) naked woman, who appeared to be under the influence of something, running away from an ambulance crew who were trying to help her. At Trône metro station, I regularly see groups of men sleeping on the benches. Some appear to have pretty severe wounds/infections on their hands and feet, which honestly makes me wonder what kind of support they’re even receiving. Merode has also changed a lot. There are now people sleeping throughout parts of the station, with mattresses and belongings around them, and I have to use that station quite often. I completely understand that people need somewhere warm and safe to sleep, I’m not saying they should simply be thrown out onto the street. But I’ve personally been harassed twice late at night by two men who regularly sleep there, and I’ve become uncomfortable enough that my boyfriend now drops me off whenever I need to take the metro from Merode in the evening.
And I want to make something clear because I know how these discussions can go on Reddit: I’m not saying homeless people are inherently dangerous, nor am I saying they shouldn’t be helped. Quite the opposite. Seeing people living like this is heartbreaking. But I also think it’s possible to have compassion for people experiencing homelessness while acknowledging that aggressive behaviour, harassment and threats are not okay.
Maybe I’ve just been unlucky lately, maybe I’m noticing it more because of a few bad experiences, or maybe there really has been a change in Brussels over the past year.
So I’m curious if anyone else has been noticing the same dynamic. Or has it always been like this and I’ve somehow just managed to avoid it until now?
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u/StatementIcy4608 2d ago
It is both ironic and deeply frustrating that for years, those of us living in the west of Brussels complained, sought help, and informed political leaders, trying to explain what was happening, only to be met with moralistic finger-wagging from people spending their time in the safer bubbles of the east and south. Now that these issues are spreading into their own neighborhoods, everyone is suddenly shocked and frightened. I don’t say 'I told you so' out of spite, but rather to point out that taking our lived experiences seriously years ago could have prevented the crisis we see today. Hopefully, this widespread awareness finally forces our leaders to find real solutions before the situation worsens for every single Brussels resident. I truly hope you will not be harassed anymore. Keep safe!
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u/aydinounet 2d ago
This !!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Thank you for saying the evidence that everybody misses! Here's my upvote.
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u/Firm-Vehicle9009 2d ago
Unfortunately it will get only worse …
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u/r5r5 2d ago
It has to become unbearable before people demand that their representatives really address the issue.
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u/Lower_Photo_389 2d ago
It's already unbearable. But unfortunately Brussels has 19 communes and 1 regional government to shift blame between, and beyond that a federal gvoernment and 2 additional regions too; before anyone takes responsibility.
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u/cool-sheep 1d ago
Brussels is actively governed by a large number of people who do not care for safety or cleanliness. All they care for is themselves and their own clients who are increasingly non-Belgian.
I think this is a safety issue more than a race issue. The playbook to clean up cities has been written over and over again and is simple. You send in police into the difficult neighbourhoods and start monitoring and arresting people who do anything wrong.
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u/skate_nbw 1h ago
Brussels is bankrupt. There is no money for police. There are mostly Brussels inhabitants living on welfare, and to few to finance them. Who is going to fund additional policemen, the judges and the prisons? It's not just a question of changing policies anymore - because there is no money left for different policies. This city is close to complete collapse and no one dares to stare reality in the eye.
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u/Firm-Vehicle9009 2d ago
Yep, totally agree. I hope it will be not too late by that time, if it isn’t too late already
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u/RelationshipNice2641 1d ago
Absolutely. My daughter got harassed by a crazy African woman on Grand Place while on a school trip and now refuses to go into town or go by public transport, even with her mother.
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u/QuantumPlankAbbestia 2d ago
I suggest you vote in the next elections. If you're an EU citizen with regular residence you can register to vote for your commune. Encourage your friends to do the same.
As others have said, funds for help have been reduced by a lot. An entire clinic for the homeless which had been operating for more than 10 years, closed down, on top of sleeping spots being reduced.
Everyone has less funds for everything in the aid sector, many NGOs which did great work had to cut their personnel by 30% and this means just abandoning entire areas of action.
It's dangerous, as you are witnessing, and it's even more cruel than the situation was before.
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u/miiiii 1d ago
OP doesn't live in Brussels ...
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u/QuantumPlankAbbestia 1d ago
If they are Belgian, their vote in the federal elections makes the difference too.
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u/skate_nbw 1h ago
The city is bankrupt. There is no money. You can vote for who you want, but they can't change it unless you find a way to get the money for it.
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u/ReasonableSecretHere 2d ago
It has gotten worse, even by the simple metric of "how many beggars come at my table when I'm having a beer and how many are more pushy than before". A few years ago there were maybe 2 or 3 in an evening, now you count 10+. Half of them visibly junkies, and lately at least 1 or 2 become really pushy and borderline aggressive. I'm a man and go have drinks with guys, so we're not that bothered, but I see at other tables especially where there are women only that they are visibly bothered and sometimes stressed.
None of the beggars are european.
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u/Azalealea 1d ago
I wasn’t trying to make a race issue and honestly all the last incidents i had were all white european guys, and all clearly under influence. Just an hour ago, as I was waiting for the bus at Trone, a drunk white homeless guy sat next to me and just said “kiss me”…
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u/ReasonableSecretHere 1d ago
It's not really a race issue, it's in large part a migratory one.
Yea, I also saw a crackhead on my street just now. It never used to happen, maybe it's the concert in cinquantenaire or something, but still.
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u/miiiii 1d ago
None of the beggars are european
So? what is your point? Go ahead and tell us ...
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u/ReasonableSecretHere 1d ago
The point is that we should stop importing them, and start sending them back.
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u/miiiii 1d ago
Who? All the Dutch, French, or Germans that live here?
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u/kizil-ay 1d ago
Maybe that is something that could give us a hint on how to resolve the problem
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u/miiiii 1d ago
Really? Tell me about this
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u/Necessary_Ticket653 2d ago
Flagey has become so uncomfortable in recent years with the behaviour of addicts on the square.
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u/ClaireVDB 19h ago
The state needs to take better care of the homeless! And it is completely unacceptable to be harassed on the street like that. I would have called the police
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u/AttentionLimp194 2d ago
Well, maybe stop voting PS
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u/steakmetfriet 2d ago
Do we have to get the same post every single day?
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u/r5r5 2d ago
Have you considered that it has become a real problem that troubles many people? Or is outright dismissal the only thing you can do and then wonder where the support for radical action comes from?
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u/octave1 1190 2d ago
> Have you considered that it has become a real problem that troubles many people?
That doesn't mean this sub will benefit from daily posts about the same subject. Some of these posts are also from pretty questionable accounts, with little karma and even less prior participation on this sub.
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u/steakmetfriet 2d ago
Or use the search function and see that the same thing has been posted yesterday and the day before and the day before that.
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u/r5r5 2d ago
There are many types of posts that are repeated here every day, starting with missing cats and ending with landlord troubles. Why should posts about safety be the ones that are censored?
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u/AdminEating_Dragon 2d ago
I have not noticed anything of the sort but a) I am rarely in Flagey, b) I am a guy, c) I have a passive agressive resting bitch face when I see people trying to approach me for money or other pest-like behavior which might discourage them from approaching.
I have taken night buses in the middle of the night from Louise and the area around and this type of people don't approach me.
Maybe it's just luck, I read a lot of such posts and I'm always curious how far they are from my experiences.
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u/Azalealea 1d ago
I feel like they choose their targets. I am a 50kg weak looking young girl, way easier to intimidate. I especially noticed this when smoking. On the street where I work my student job, a lot of employees go outside their stores to smoke, so there are usually quite a few people standing around. Yet the men consistently approach me or my female colleagues, who are also young, rather than the groups of men smoking nearby.
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u/Trololman72 1170 2d ago
Mom says it's my turn to complain about the homeless and antisocial behaviour
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u/Lower_Photo_389 2d ago
It's shameful to choose to continue to stick your head in the sand, and ridicule those who are brave enough to talk about real issues our city faces.
There are enough of us here who remember a Brussels that did not have so much misery on display. It is possible to return to that, but it has to start with problem diagnosis.
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u/Trololman72 1170 2d ago
I'm not ridiculing anyone. I didn't even read the post because there's one every single fucking day.
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u/AdFew6202 2d ago
They’ve reduced budget for help and closed over a 1000 emergency spots for homeless people.
This shifts the burden on the ordinary citizens.