Julien Moinil’s Warnings Must Be Taken Seriously

Johan Leman, 12 October 2026

Some time ago, Julien Moinil stated that in Brussels, 162 young people were on a waiting list for a place in a French-speaking secure residential institution, while another 98 were waiting for a mobile support team to become available.

Two questions would be worth asking. First, how many of these young people took part, wearing masks, in the recent acts of vandalism in Brussels? Second, how many of them tell their peers on a daily basis that in Brussels, you can deal drugs without worrying, because it is profitable and you run absolutely no risk of spending more than one night in a cell? In some circles, it can even earn you hero status… After the latest riots, it was the same story all over again.

In another statement, Moinil revealed that a member of the Brussels Parliament had approached him to have someone who was in prison released. Does this parliamentarian not realise that such interference belongs in a mafia-style society?

We have known for many years that clientelism is a reality in Brussels. It is a pernicious practice that people in Brussels have had to learn to live with. Has it become widespread practice? Fortunately, not yet. But we are now seeing that, on top of all this, a culture of impunity is beginning to take hold in Brussels among young people who are already committing serious crimes.

The excuse that keeps coming up is a dispute over the division of powers… and the argument that resolving such problems takes time. What was still missing from the picture was a member of parliament who apparently believes that it is acceptable to put in a word with the judiciary to get the sentence of a friend or family member overturned through personal influence.

There is no need to aspire to be more virtuous than the most virtuous of people, but it is high time that a clearer line was drawn in Brussels between what is considered normal and what is not.

Let us hope that enough civil society organisations will be able to keep drawing that line clearly while also remaining resilient themselves. For hope for young people will have to come from these organisations, now that policymakers are largely capitulating and many politicians seem primarily concerned with themselves and their own futures.

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