Belgium
06:02 10/05/2021
About 60 people, according to estimates released by the Brussels-Ixelles police, symbolically reopened the ramps of the Brussels Justice Palace to traffic during a demonstration against the city’s parking policy on Saturday morning.
The protesters were mainly made up of shop owners and workers from the area around the courthouse on Place Poelaert, according to Michel Deschuytere, president of the Bruegel and Marolles trade association.
A police spokesperson revealed that the flower containers that prevent cars using the ramps that lead to the courthouse as a parking space were moved by protestors, allowing access for about 15 minutes before being put back in place at the end of the rally. No cars took advantage of the temporary reopening during that time.
Living
18:19 17/03/2021
Renovation works will soon begin – or shall we say proceed – on the Justice Palace in Brussels. We know – you’ll believe it when you see it. Us too, but we feel the need to report on what we are being told anyway.
The agency responsible for federal buildings announced last year that the exterior of the Justice Palace would be fully renovated by 2030. Ha ha, said long-time residents of Brussels, tell us another one.
For the Justice Palace has been shrouded in scaffolding for at least 34 years now, the victim of endless red tape, administrative incompetence and arguing among several levels of government about who should pay for what and when. Not to mention a lack of vision on how currently empty interior spaces will be put to use.