Jewish leaders in Belgium are warning of a security crisis after learning that authorities plan to withdraw federal police protection from Antwerp’s Jewish district beginning in January, despite a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in the country and abroad.

The plan would remove 16 federal police officers currently assigned to the neighborhood and reassign them to Brussels, shifting responsibility for security to local police forces. Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg disclosed the decision during an appearance on state television Tuesday and publicly criticized the move, calling it “incomprehensible.”

Van Doesburg said the withdrawal risks creating a dangerous security vacuum, particularly in the wake of the deadly antisemitic terror attack earlier this week at a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia, where 15 people were killed and dozens injured.

“We cannot allow a situation where people feel unprotected,” the mayor said.

The announcement has sent shockwaves through Antwerp’s large Orthodox Jewish population, one of the most visible and longstanding Jewish communities in Europe.

Ralph Pais, vice-chair of the Jewish Information and Documentation Centre (JID), said the decision has caused “genuine unrest within the Jewish community” and has led to a “profound sense of insecurity.”

“Antisemitic incidents remain frequent and persistent,” Pais said in a statement Thursday. “Verbal abuse, intimidation, physical violence, and graffiti continue to occur on a weekly basis, and in some cases even daily.”

Pais added that many incidents are no longer being reported to authorities, not because they have stopped occurring, but because victims feel exhausted or have lost confidence that reporting will lead to meaningful action.

As of Thursday, federal authorities had not publicly explained the rationale for the redeployment or addressed concerns raised by the Jewish community and Antwerp’s mayor.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)