“The unthinkable has happened: an 11-year-old child shot dead in the war between drug traffickers in Antwerp,” reacted Antwerp resident Peter Mertens, secretary general of the PTB / PVDA. “The fight once morest drug-related violence is a complex issue. It requires resources. But perhaps also a different approach,” he pleaded.
Ilse van Dienderen, leader of the Groen group in Antwerp, was speechless when she learned that a child had been killed in the context of drug-related violence, information “which hits hard”, she wrote on Twitter.
The Alderman of Antwerp in charge of the Port, Town Planning and Spatial Planning, Annick De Ridder (N-VA), also spoke of “terribly sad news”. “I send my condolences to parents, family and friends,” she said. “My anger is directed at the corrupt milieu that has caused this tragedy.”
Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open VLD) said several other children had been seriously injured. “The drug mafia can’t go any lower than this,” he said. “The police and the prosecution are doing everything they can to find and convict those responsible.”
