2023-10-08 07:30:00
”The Brussels Alhambra district does not take its name from the majestic Andalusian palace complex, but the two places have one thing in common: they attract a lot of people. With one difference: here, it is not tourists from all over the world that we meet, but another public,” says Mathias, a bit ironically. Because in this neighborhood where he has lived for almost ten years, the young man rubs shoulders with those who frequent the trendy local cafés and the Royal Flemish Theater (KVS), but also those who have their habits there in one of the oldest neighborhoods of prostitution in the capital.
Local residents and prostitutes live together in relative calm, but in recent weeks, the increase in acts of violence has disrupted this cohabitation. The cause: another audience who gradually came to settle in, causing exchanges of slaps and backlashes.
According to Mathias, everything got worse when drug users arrived in the neighborhood, ejected from other streets of the capital. Not knowing where to stay, some of them wanted to find refuge either in the old Tropicana café or in the old Studio Europe hotel. Except that the places were already occupied by several Roma families. Consequence: a general dispute broke out around ten days ago. Much to the dismay of the neighborhood. “Personally, what they do is none of my business, but when there is a ruckus, at any time of the day or night, with prostitutes, pimps or anyone else, it becomes our problem too,” explains Mathias, a little distraught.
Sébastien Morvan, co-founder of Brussels Beer Project, which manages the Flamingo café, explains that he has no particular comment on the situation, “except that of any citizen who hopes that the authorities will unravel the political-administrative complexities to provide a solution that be positive as quickly as possible for the neighborhood.”
The Alhambra district still faced with squatters, drugs and prostitution
“Drug addicts who squat the territory”
When we ask Rachida (not her real name) about living together in the neighborhood, the prostitute hesitates for a long time. Then respond. “There are happy people, and there are unhappy people. Sometimes it laughs, sometimes it screams. And that’s all,” she says, looking curiously at her friend who, seeing us approach, took off running.
On the other sidewalk, Nour, Olga and Ludmila (not their real names) call out to us, humming that they have “neither a master, nor a husband, nor a pimp (pimp, Editor’s note)”, before bursting out laughing. As for what is happening in the neighborhood, they are categorical: all this ruckus is not their fault, but that of “the drug addicts who come to squat their territory”.
“People like to say that we screw up because we are prostitutes, but being noticed like that, by fighting, is not in our interest,” assures Nour. The three of us don’t really prefer to take weird things. Already, because it costs. At the café over there, Red Bull Vodka costs five bucks, that’s a lot, even though the goal is to earn money, not waste it. Sometimes I want to have a drink at the bar, but if it’s to hope for a customer who might not come, it’s not interesting.”
She continues. “We are trying to think. The problem is that there are girls who don’t think and that’s what causes problems. Because afterward, they get into drugs, then they bring back clients to use with, and sometimes, these guys are completely fucked up. These guys come back later and bring other people, and boom, it’s a mess. Finally, when I say shit, you understand, eh”, laughs the young girl.
Olga explains that she does not consume any narcotics to avoid damaging her body, which remains her only working tool. “In my entire life, I have never taken any drugs, not even alcohol. I’m too afraid of the effects. When I see some girls who used to be beautiful and now look like zombies, I get sad. So no, even for a suitcase of money, I swear to you, Madam, that I prefer to say no. A lot of girls said yes, just for once, and now it’s over for them.”
Peak hour: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
These prostitutes insist on explaining that they are not linked to the growing tensions in the neighborhood, and that many other girls have also chosen to adapt their schedules to avoid any trouble.
New distressing images in this Brussels district: women come to blows, local residents rebel against politics
It was actually 10 a.m. that morning, and already, nearly twenty girls were occupying the sidewalks. “Many people think that we work at night, but in truth, there is more work, for all of us, during the day. The peak hour for a prostitute is between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., says Nour. It is in these moments that a customer will come, either by taking a detour before going to work, or by taking advantage of their break. In the evening, it’s too risky for customers who want to remain discreet, and it’s too risky for us with people who might annoy us.”
Among these “people who could annoy them”, they especially point out users of crack and heroin. Are dealers and traffickers also a threat? “Not at all,” they reply, in unison. “We know where they are in the neighborhood, but they are not mean to us, and we are nice to them,” replies Ludmila.
And Nour adds: “Often, police officers come to ask us questions and want to know where the drug dealers are, etc. But it’s not them, the problem. The problem is guys like this customer who gave a girl 1,000 euros for two full days. Obviously, 1,000 balls, you’re happy. Except when she came back, she was completely addicted and she was pregnant. Now, she works with her mother who watches her 24 hours a day. That’s not a life.”
And to conclude: “People come to tell us that a lot of things that are done here are not legal. To be honest, I don’t know what the law says, I don’t know if what I’m doing is forbidden, but I don’t bother anyone, I do my thing in my own corner, and that’s it. is all. We are like these people in their houses all around: we want to live in peace.”
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