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Call – Looking for hangers, t-shirts and shirts

A new exhibit will soon begin at House of Compassion. The theme is “Clean Clothes”. We will highlight the progress but also the continuing problems of the garment industry, following the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh.

To make the exhibition lively and meaningful, we are looking for hangers, t-shirts and shirts. We are asking anyone who can spare hangers, t-shirts or shirts to bring them to the Beguinage church. You can drop off the items at the reception desk. Mathieu Peeters, who is setting up the exhibit, will make a beautiful installation with them.

Afterwards, the material will be donated to a humanitarian organization.

Solidarity weekend with the refugees who sleep on the bridge near Petit Château

Last weekend’s solidarity weekend was a nice success. On Saturday evening, there was a vigil at the bridge, organised by neighbours living around the Petit Château. At night, the neighbours slept outside in a tent, in solidarity with the refugees who have been living there for months. On Sunday, there was a small parade and Friendship Without Borders brunch, where several speakers spoke.

The organisers succeeded in their aim. There was once again press coverage of the shelter crisis. Here are some links:

Petit Château : les riverains passent la nuit aux côtés des demandeurs d’asile

https://radio1.be/luister/select/de-ochtend/buurtbewoners-brengen-nacht-door-op-straat-in-solidariteit-met-asielzoekers-wij-geloven-nicole-de-moor-niet-meer?fbclid=IwAR1WYi2QIIWoLFZ5SBUY_sKGsHFZ-7zMyk_eetla1PHuMDyXRKpbUU-xOOQ

https://www.rtbf.be/article/en-soutien-aux-demandeurs-dasile-les-riverains-installent-leurs-tentes-devant-le-petit-chateau-11147720?fbclid=IwAR0JSyF0g6cXY14HV5ZTNpMOIuQSYs6AjP-p1aCIM7HL4w3qjBZk6OKB51c

https://www.bruzz.be/samenleving/buurtbewoners-klein-kasteeltje-brengen-nacht-tenten-door-bij-asielzoekers-2023-02-04

https://www.bruzz.be/videoreeks/maandag-6-november-2023/video-solidariteitsbrunch-voor-vluchtelingen-we-wilden-een

https://www.rtl.be/page-videos/belgique/faits-divers/des-habitants-vont-loger-sous-tente-devant-le-petit-chateau-avec-les-migrants/2023-02-04/video/521934

https://www.rtl.be/page-videos/belgique/politique/des-riverains-passent-une-nuit-en-tente-avec-des-refugies-devant-le-petit/2023-02-05/video/522038

https://www.rtl.be/actu/regions/bruxelles/cest-horrible-quand-tu-penses-que-ca-fait-des-mois-quils-dorment-comme-ca/2023-02-05/article/522035

Is civil disobedience appropriate for religious leaders?

Priest Daniel Alliët is this week’s guest in Kerk & Leven. They invited him to answer the question: Are acts of civil disobedience appropriate for religious leaders?

Read the full text below.

Daniel Alliet

Priest in Brussels, defending undocumented migrants in particular

“Are religious authorities promoting civil disobedience? What will be next? Will we see men in cassocks and Roman collar throwing soup on paintings in museums or blocking access to motorways?” the French medium La Croix states so defiantly in its 2 December 2022 edition, after a remarkable group of activists – a rabbi, a Catholic bishop, a Protestant minister, an imam and a Buddhist monk – took part in the occupation of a petrol station in protest against a TotalEnergies oil project in Uganda and Tanzania.

Generally, a society needs rules and you have to abide by them. “The (basic) law is not a scrap of paper,” Leo Tindemans once exclaimed. However, is it true that in a democracy, everyone should always obey the law? If so, we would not be where we are today. Women’s suffrage came about after “disobedience” to male authority – up to and including a hunger strike – by a group of English women. Slavery only got abolished by (unlawful) uprisings. The right to strike followed ‘unlawful’ strikes. Think of the actions of priest Daens and of socialists in the late nineteenth century. Black people in the United States only got civil rights after a lot of ‘illegal’ actions, first and foremost those of Rosa Parks. Indians got just salt prices only after Ghandi’s massive illegal Salt March and hundreds of thousands of ‘civil disobedient’ poor.

One could argue that all those ‘civil disobedient’ stood up for more just rules. They acted not for personal gain, not by force and only after ordinary legal means proved inadequate. With many others, political philosopher Hannah Arendt argued that it is fortunate that those people are there, because without them democracy scleroses, falls hopelessly behind changes and advancing insight, and risks becoming extremely unjust, in short, the opposite of democracy.

Thus Jesus healed on Sabbath, an undeniable act of civil-religious disobedience. The then almost 16-year-old Greta Thunberg disregarded compulsory schooling when she decided to stand at the Swedish Parliament every day until the elections in 2018, with her self-made banner ‘Skolstrejk for klimatet’. And so there also came that occupation of that petrol station against the tragedy of TotalEnergies.

And yes, that included ‘that religious quintet’. Is that kind of civil disobedience appropriate for religious leaders? And sometimes it is added whether it is ‘expedient’. Well, the Greek philosopher Socrates chose to drink the poison cup instead of having to follow what he considered unjust rules. It was a Buddhist monk who was the first to publicly set himself on fire against the US war in Vietnam. Jesus healed on Sabbath – an unmistakable act of civil-religious disobedience, which helped cause him to be condemned and crucified. In his wake, many Christians refused to worship the emperor as a god.

Closer to our time, there is the example of a Belgian bishop who protested against the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and took in 20 undocumented women to call for a different regularisation policy. When 100 desperate and supposedly “double illegal” persons occupied the Beguinage Church in Brussels during the Corona crisis, the parish did not turn them in. Even the chief rabbi, an imam and representatives of humanism openly supported them.

So are such actions inappropriate or inappropriate? Granted, nobody has a monopoly on truth and you always run the risk of defending a wrong point of view. That does not take away from the fact that every human being has his or her own conscience and that not (daring to) act is by no means a neutral choice either. This also applies to religious leaders, who in certain circumstances may judge that they have to take action, as human beings and as citizens. Their fait may make them feel extra motivated.

‘The Letter’ at House of Compassion

On Monday 16 January, we watched “The Letter” together, a film about the encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ in which Pope Francis enters into dialogue with activists from groups that are not sufficiently heard on the world stage: the poor, indigenous peoples, young people and scientists representing the animal and plant world.

About 100 people were present for the introduction by Karel Malfliet. He dwelt on the core of Pope Francis’ discourse around ecology and ended with a beautiful poem. A poem that expresses the hope that encounters within our universal family, may lead to fundamental change.

You can still consult Karel Malfliet’s presentation here in French.

Just over 70 participants participated in the follow-up discussion. At first they shared how they experienced the film. The stories of the main characters in the film were felt to be very moving. Later, many shared a sense of powerlessness and a frustration at the little one can do as an individual. At the same time, there is strength and energy to take steps both in one’s own life, and within the wider society. Some share clever ways to increase your individual impact, such as moving your savings into an account at an ecological bank. Others are already planning actions such as organising screenings of the film Laudato Si themselves.

Would you like to see the movie too? Or would you like to share it with your friends and family? Watch online through this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rps9bs85BII&t=751s

Would you like more info about the film or the people in the film, or would you like to organise a screening yourself? Please visit the website for the film: www.theletterfilm.org

Sign ‘humans first, then digitalisation’

Social service organisations are very concerned about the ‘digital by default‘ principle, which will soon be generalised to all public services via an ordinance before the Brussels Parliament. They notice that a large part of the population is experiencing more and more difficulties with all kinds of administrative procedures (from school registration to requests for subsidies or access to their medical file). Since the COVID period, many counters remain closed, leaving many people out in the cold.  Further digitalisation without a clear strategy for alternative forms of communication leads not only to digital but also to social exclusion and human rights violations. As part of a mobilisation campaign, a petition was started with some very specific questions to Parliament.

If 1000 citizens sign this petition, the debate can be held, the sooner the better!

You can read the full text and sign this petition:

expo – More Art, less prejudice

On the occasion of our september-october theme – psychological vulnerability, injustice and resilience – House of Compassion is hosting an exhibition of people with and without psychological vulnerability.

This exhibition is produced by vzw KAOS, you will find all information on their website.

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Sunday: 11:00-17:00

 

Toward end of the occupation of the Béguinage church

Le 30/01/2021, une centaine de personnes en situation de séjour irrégulier sont entrées dans l’église du Béguinage. L’action n’était pas une action par et pour les personnes “sans logement”, mais une action politique. Il s’agissait de travailleurs sans papiers qui travaillaient ici depuis de nombreuses années, généralement dans des situations de grave exploitation. Covid avait sérieusement détérioré leurs conditions de vie. 

La déclaration gouvernementale indiquait qu’une campagne de régularisation ne serait pas discutée pendant cette période gouvernementale, ce qui n’était plus acceptable pour les travailleurs sans-papiers. Il était tout simplement impossible qu’ils soient considérés comme des êtres inexistants, comme des “personnes de l’ombre” pendant quatre ans de plus, tout en étant “utiles” en tant que main-d’œuvre très bon marché/exploitée”.

Reconnaissant leur cri de dignité, nous avons toléré l’occupation. Nous ne pouvions pas l’accepter, car avec la covid, même les services religieux avec plus de 15 personnes étaient impossibles. Nous avons indiqué que – à notre avis – ils n’obtiendraient certainement pas tout ce qu’ils voulaient obtenir. Mais nous avons pensé qu’ils pourraient avoir le mérite de remettre à l’ordre du jour politique la situation inhumaine dans laquelle ils vivent.

Après les négociations des 20 et 21 juillet (auxquelles nous avons été autorisés à participer), nous pensions que tout un groupe de gens serait reconnu. Aujourd’hui, nous nous sentons très déçus quand nous voyons le nombre de réponses négatives, même pour des personnes dont nous pensions qu’elles avaient d’excellents dossiers, des dossiers qui – après les discussions avec les autorités – se termineraient certainement par une réponse positive.

La lutte pour une politique d’asile et de régularisation plus humaine se poursuit. Nous voulons continuer à la soutenir partout où nous le pouvons, en aidant à trouver les moyens les plus appropriés.

La plupart des militants qui ont participé à l’occupation sont entre-temps rentrés chez eux. Cela signifie également le retour à des situations d’exploitation humiliantes, car il faut survivre.

Il restait donc une vingtaine de personnes dans l’église qui, entre-temps, étaient devenues des sans-abri, et ce dans une situation d’accueil non humaine (1 toilette, pas de chauffage, pas de sanitaires, encore moins de douches). Ce n’est absolument pas le but de l’église et, comme vous pouvez le lire, elle n’y est encore moins adaptée !  De plus, nous savons – par expérience – que de telles situations peuvent également devenir dangereuses et donc très contre-productives.

Pour toutes ces raisons, il a été demandé aux militants de vider l’église, sachant que plusieurs personnes cherchent une solution pour les “20” restants. Après une rénovation complète, l’église sera rouverte pour les fonctions de House of Compassion, un lieu de lutte pour la justice et la compassion pour les personnes en situation de séjour irrégulier, mais aussi pour d’autres groupes.

Que ce soit bien clair : ce n’est en aucun cas un signe que nous voulons nous désolidariser de la lutte des personnes sans résidence légale pour une politique d’asile et de régularisation plus humaine ! Par le passé, nous leur avons déjà demandé à deux reprises de quitter l’église parce qu’elle n’était plus sûre ou appropriée pour une action politique. Nous n’avons pas été moins solidaires avec eux après cela. Aujourd’hui ce ne sera pas le cas non plus.

Nous voyons, par exemple, l’Allemagne, où le nouveau gouvernement a clairement pris un virage. Elle déclare honnêtement : “Admettons que nous sommes un pays d’immigration de fait et que nous avons besoin les uns des autres ! Soyons donc ouverts et corrects.” Par exemple, tous ceux qui vivent en Allemagne depuis 5 ans (sans véritable casier judiciaire) auront un an pour obtenir un contrat de travail ou commencer une formation dans un métier en pénurie. Ils peuvent ainsi obtenir un permis de séjour qui leur permet de ne plus survivre dans une exploitation dégradante, mais d’apporter une contribution normale à la société, avec des droits et des obligations comme tout le monde.

Pourquoi cela ne serait-il pas possible dans notre Belgique, qui est aussi devenue un pays d’immigration ? Nous voulons travailler là-dessus aussi fort que possible : De la dignité pour eux et une politique digne pour nous.

 House of Compassion, Bruxelles, 4 janvier 2022

Author: Daniel Alliët

Opening of the exhibition “The Imaginary Pilgrimage”

Our exhibition “The Imaginary Pilgrimage” has been officially opened since yesterday in the Our Lady of Good Assistance Church (Kolenmarkt 91, 1000 Brussels). About 50 people attended the vernissage. The atmosphere was good. Initiator Siska Deknudt and artists Yelena Schmitz, Nicolas Marquez and Boris Vermeersch explained more about the exhibition. As icing on the cake, the detainees treated to chocolates. Visitors also received a free drink when leaving the exhibition.

Be sure to visit the exhibition. Learn about the inner lives of prisoners, their deeply human feelings of guilt, trauma, shame and confusion. It is open until December 22, every weekday and Saturday between 9am and 5pm. On Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm.

 

The exhibition is a realization of Siska Deknudt, Yelena Schmitz, Nicolas Marquez and Boris Vermeersch. We bring their work in collaboration with Pax Christi.

Solidarity is not a crime – report Saturday 06/11/2021

Two people talked about their experiences as social workers and lawyers supporting people on the run.

Annouk Van Gestel, former editor-in-chief of Marie-Claire, was so shocked after a report in Calais that she engaged as an activist (and not just as a journalist).

In Calais, she had also noticed that the solidarity actions stirred up a lot of people.

After the camp in Calais was evacuated by force, many people also ended up in the Brussels Maximilian Park. She organized several actions herself and eventually also gave shelter to an underage refugee.

She was awakened very early one morning (at 5 a.m.), seven police officers gained access to her home and confiscated her PC, files, and mobile phone.

She was only later summoned to the police station and charged with human trafficking. She even risked imprisonment.

The case was dealt with in Dendermonde, together with ten other people suspected of smuggling, supporting and illegal acts involving refugees. It was an amalgam of totally different facts and cases.

To the public opinion, an image was created, that it was about smuggling of human beings and criminal acts.

Afterwards, after intervention, the trial was moved to Brussels where a completely different reading of the trial took place. In the meantime, of course, the suspicions had left, and the whole affair had a very big impact on her private life and family.

(Where there is smoke, there is fire, fear, people who approached her differently and so on).

She was only acquitted of the case in May 2021 and is now considering legal action against the Belgian state for indecent exposure.

However, Anouk has stayed busy, more active than ever, she is currently giving shelter to refugees again and has started, together with other people, a café annex meeting space in Ixelles (Al & Greta, Boulevard de la République 167, 1050 Brussels).

 

The second speaker was Alexis Deswaef, lawyer, and former president of the Human Rights League.

Alexis was also the counsellor Anouk Van Gestel, and strongly emphasized once again that the political world is mainly pursuing a repressive policy. Not only towards the refugees (every country wants to present itself as unattractive as possible towards refugees) but also towards people who show solidarity with refugees.

In this way, a culture of fear is created that prevents people from approaching and supporting vulnerable people in a humane way.

Fear of legal persecution, even imprisonment, imputation.

What the activists and solidarity groups are doing, however, is filling the gap in the humane reception of people on the run. Because the state fails to do so.

The Medusa plan, which the previous government helped set up to combat human smuggling, was in fact misused to track down and discourage solidarity workers.

Because repression has increased so much (border controls, therefore also dramas on the Med. Sea, barriers in Croatia, Hungary, Belarus), refugees are almost forced to seek refuge in rogue clans. So, the opposite is achieved because the merciless repression increases the smuggling of human beings.

Alexis Deswaerf underlines (during the question round) that in his many years of experience as a lawyer and adviser to refugees there is one constant.

If people had the choice to stay in their country of origin, they would never have emigrated.

However, if the political world does not fundamentally work on the causes that are at the root of migration (social inequality, economic exploitation, repression, poverty, climate), migration will only increase, despite all the repression.

Consternation among the occupants of House of Compassion

After months of waiting, the first responses to the activists’ regularization requests are now coming in. 14 of the 15 results received are negative. The dejection is great. Factors that, according to the Immigration Department, would have played a role – such as the number of years in Belgium, their integration here, having family here and job prospects – appear to have made no difference. Even some model files were rejected. The next few days will be spent thinking about next actions. Anyone who wants to help is welcome every Thursday at 6 p.m. on the forecourt of the church for the meeting of the support committee.