One of the responses to recent episodes of violence

It is remembered that Brussels experienced several acts of violence at the end of 2022 (riots after Belgium-Morocco, violence against the police). Faced with these increases and the repetition of violent episodes, the MR is turning to mandatory civic service, especially in Brussels.

There is already a civic service in Belgium, but it is little known and underfunded. In the Brussels Region, the budget allocated to it has not changed in seven years and only allows it to be offered to 118 young people per year. By way of comparison, it concerns 140,000 young people per year in France, 40,000 in Germany, 40,000 in Italy...

Finding one's way

In 2022, nearly 120 young people from Brussels chose to engage in civic service. Thanks to a grant of 40,000 euros, they were able, for six months, to "engage in projects useful to the community."

The establishment of such a service in Brussels first makes sense and would serve as an example. Brussels remains a laboratory for Belgium due to its status as a major city. Automatically, there is a magnifying glass effect on certain issues. There is an erosion of respect for authority in the broad sense, whether towards the police, emergency services, firefighters, justice... The events, news, and hot topics in Brussels that we have seen in recent months unfortunately testify to this. There is an increasingly difficult challenge to find a common foundation of values that underpins social cohesion.