Keerbergen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In Keerbergen, right-wing and far-right stickers targeting Walloons and foreigners appear on lampposts and signs. Eggers urges residents to report them; police investigation ongoing, removal costly for municipality.
As VRT News reported, stickers with hateful and political messages have appeared across Keerbergen, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, stuck to lampposts, traffic signs and other public fixtures. Local official Eggers says the stickers come from different right-wing and far-right groups, each carrying short slogans intended to drive a wedge between communities.
He mentioned that the messages vary, but the intent is the same. Crews must remove the stickers again and again, and the work is costly for the municipality. Cleaning materials, labour hours and repeated call-outs place pressure on the local budget, especially when new stickers replace the old ones within days.
“These messages had a hateful tendency,”
Eggers says.
“Walloons and people of foreign origin, among others, were targeted. “It was striking that almost every post in one street was covered. As a municipality, you think: We have to remove this.”
“That’s why we filed a complaint with the police. If the perpetrators are found, we hope to recover those costs,”
says Eggers.
What is being done to stop hateful stickers in Keerbergen?
During the recent council meeting, members again raised concerns about pollution caused by the stickers. They asked what the municipality can do to prevent new cases and stop the spread. Eggers responded with a quip:
“There’s little you can do about things like that. But what’s important is that we need to organise events that bring people together instead of dividing them. In December, we’re setting up an ice skating rink with a winter bar on the town square. That attracts many residents and people from neighbouring municipalities. Initiatives like this help combat acidification.”
The idea of adding more camera surveillance was mentioned, but officials said this step will not be taken. They pointed out that cameras are expensive to install and maintain, and they may not help much when offenders act quickly during quiet hours.
“We’re not going to put cameras on every street corner to see who’s putting up a sticker,”
says Eggers.
Eggers also spoke directly to residents who feel hurt or threatened by the messages. He urged people to report new stickers as soon as they see them, either through the municipality or local services.
“Don’t take it too seriously. There will always be people who want to portray others in a negative light. But that’s an absolute minority. We shouldn’t let that influence us too much,”
Eggers said.
Recent sticker actions have also taken place in other Flemish cities for more than a year. In 2020, the cities of Leuven and Antwerp reported sticker actions undertaken by small far-right groups, who placed political slogans in public spaces.
In 2021 and 2022, stickers containing nationalist messages were reported to have appeared in Ghent and Bruges on street furniture and walls overnight. Local authorities have removed many of these stickers, but identifying the individuals responsible for these sticker actions is a difficult task.
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