De Wever Rejects Criticism of Antwerp Drug Policy
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever forcefully rejected opposition claims on Wednesday that drug violence in Brussels is a consequence of a lax anti-drug approach in the Port of Antwerp, dismissing the criticism during a parliamentary committee session as “a low-level political game.” The exchange, led by Socialist Party (PS) MP Ridouane Chahid, unfolded against a backdrop of escalating gun violence in the capital.
Speaking before the Chamber’s Committee on Home Affairs, De Wever (N-VA) said the criticism was “particularly regrettable for the people working extremely hard on the ground,” according to VRT NWS. The committee was meeting after a series of shootings in Anderlecht and Sint-Joost-ten-Node in the preceding week, one of which killed a person in the Peterbos neighbourhood.
The Dispute
Chahid argued that the violence in Brussels stems directly from what he described as Antwerp’s reluctance to crack down on cocaine flows, suggesting the city holds back to avoid obstructing the economic development of its port. De Wever rejected the premise outright.
“It has nothing to do with each other, and it is not because of laxism in Antwerp that Brussels has a problem. Why then are those gangs so entrenched in Brussels and Charleroi? Is that also due to lax policy?” the prime minister countered.
BRUZZ reported that De Wever also aimed a barb at his questioner in French: “Le ridicule ne tue pas” (“Ridicule doesn’t kill”). The prime minister accused the PS of a total lack of knowledge on the issue and said violence within Antwerp’s underworld had fallen drastically, with fewer seizures — though he did not rule out that smugglers are using other entry points or more sophisticated methods.
He added that cocaine represents only a small part of organised drug crime’s revenue model, which also draws heavily on cannabis and synthetic drugs produced locally in Belgium.
A Fact-Check Contested
The debate reflects a long-running Flemish–Francophone tension. Since De Wever, the former mayor of Antwerp, became federal prime minister, Brussels authorities have frequently claimed to be disadvantaged — pointing, in particular, to drug policy.
In late August, PS mayor of Sint-Gillis Jean Spinette told VRT NWS that Brussels needed “the same support as Antwerp, with reinforcement of the federal judicial police.” A VRT NWS fact-check later found the opposite to be true: Brussels’ federal judicial police had 727 personnel versus 507 in the province of Antwerp, and when local investigators are counted, Brussels had at least 1,285 versus at least 1,002 in Antwerp.
However, the federal coalition agreement states that the Antwerp federal judicial police framework will be brought at least to the level of Brussels — implying Antwerp indeed had fewer agents. Confronted with the figures, Spinette insisted he meant that the federal government prioritises strengthening Antwerp while both zones need more resources. “It is a scandal. We need a national security plan,” he said.
Federal Response
Interior and Security Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) is scheduled to address the committee on the Brussels shootings at 2 p.m. Wednesday, following an urgent session request from Vlaams Belang MP Ortwin Depoortere, the committee chair. According to BRUZZ, Quintin is expected to face pointed questions about the government’s response.
That response has already taken shape over recent weeks. Earlier this month, Quintin and Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) unveiled a battery of measures, including 21 additional Special Forces officers for Brussels, €1.2 million for federal judicial police training, and 200 additional vehicles for the FGP, with priority for Brussels.
The government has also moved on heavier penalties for drug offences, cited by De Wever in the committee, and is preparing legislation to allow asset seizures without prior convictions. The minister said the capital faces “a situation of national urgency” — “a war of long attrition, but one we absolutely must not lose,” BRUZZ reported.
The Port Question
The port angle gained fresh momentum this week when the Brussels branch of the Reformist Movement (MR) pushed for a security audit of the Port of Brussels. “Socialist mayors point the finger at Antwerp, but we should sweep in front of our own door,” said Brussels MR chairman David Weytsman, as BRUZZ reported. Port director Gert Van der Eeken said the harbour was open to an audit.
De Wever also used the session to defend the federal anti-organised-crime taskforce created in February 2025, which he said has met 21 times and works around six long-term strategic objectives rather than on an incident-driven basis. MPs Arthur Orlians (Anders) and Stefaan Van Hecke (Groen) questioned whether the taskforce truly exists and whether it has taken decisions.
What’s Next
The exchange underscored a persistent difficulty in Belgium’s drug debate: both Brussels and Antwerp say they need more investigators, and actual staffing sits below the intended framework in both. Chahid, in a post on X, said De Wever “sounded more like a mayor of Antwerp than a prime minister,” insisting Belgium needs “an overarching strategy against organised crime, not village politics.”
With gun violence continuing to unsettle residents and a federal workload measurement poised to determine future financing for the judicial police, the political fault lines over who bears responsibility — and who is under-resourced — appear unlikely to close soon.