Belgium Deploys Soldiers to Guard Jewish Sites After String of Anti-Semitic Attacks

Belgian soldiers began patrolling the streets of Brussels and Antwerp on March 24 to reinforce security at Jewish community sites in the wake of what officials said were a series of anti-Semitic incidents in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The deployment follows an explosion outside a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège on March 9. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin described the attack as a “vile antisemitic act that directly targeted Belgium’s Jewish community” in a March 9 post on X.

He added that the Federal Prosecutor’s Office had launched a judicial investigation and that security measures around similar sites would continue to be reinforced.

Quintin announced the military deployment last week alongside Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken.

“In a context of rising antisemitism, the attack that took place at the Liège Synagogue has reminded us that the threat hanging over Belgium’s Jewish community is very real,” Quintin said in a March 16 statement, according to Belgian news website 7sur7.

He added that deploying soldiers around Jewish sites would provide direct support to police forces.

Francken echoed that sentiment in a March 23 post on X, saying that Antwerp was “a little safer again” and that the Jewish community was, too.

“We say NO to antisemitism!” he added.

The European Jewish Congress and its Belgian affiliate, the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organisations of Belgium, welcomed the Belgian government’s decision to deploy the military.

“Ensuring the safety of synagogues, schools and community spaces is essential,” the EJC said in a March 17 statement on X. “This step sends an important signal that the protection of Jewish life is a priority and that concrete action is being taken in the face of rising antisemitism.”

The EJC reiterated its call for a comprehensive national strategy to combat anti-Semitism in Belgium, as well as the appointment of a dedicated coordinator to ensure effective and long-term implementation.

Wave of Attacks

A broader pattern of attacks has rattled Jewish communities across Europe since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28.

In the Netherlands, two people set off an explosion outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam on March 14.

A day earlier, Dutch police said they were investigating an explosion that caused a small fire at a synagogue in Rotterdam as arson. Authorities have arrested five suspects, aged 17 to 19, in connection with the Rotterdam attack.

In London, four Hatzalah ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service were set on fire in the early hours of March 23.

Following the arson attack, London police opened an investigation into a suspected anti-Semitic hate crime incident.

Reuters contributed to this report.