Skip to content
Magazine
Saturday, August 2, 2025
SUBSCRIBE
  • About Us
  • Belgium News
    • Belgium Police News
    • Brussels News
  • EU Institutions News
    • European Commission News
    • European Parliament News
    • European Council News
  • Europe News
  • World News
  • Belgium Business News
  • Culture and Society News
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
  • About Us
  • Belgium News
    • Belgium Police News
    • Brussels News
  • EU Institutions News
    • European Commission News
    • European Parliament News
    • European Council News
  • Europe News
  • World News
  • Belgium Business News
  • Culture and Society News
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
SUBSCRIBE

Ixelles in violation by removing Emile Storms statue

Sarhan Basem by Sarhan Basem
6 July 2022
in Brussels News

Brussels, (Brussels Morning)- The day before yesterday, on 30 June, Congo’s Independence Day, the municipal council of Ixelles decided to remove the bust of Emile Storms from Square de Meeûs. However, it committed an urban planning violation, which resulted in an official report from Urban.brussels. The Doulkeridis cabinet is falling from the sky.

June 30, 2022. Not coincidentally on Congolese Independence Day, the Ixelles municipal council decided to remove the bust of General Emile Storms from its pedestal in Square de Meeûs. Storms, a controversial figure in the colonial history of Congo and Belgium, conquered large parts of the Congo Free State at the behest of King Leopold II, not shunning the violence. His bust on Square de Meeûs in Ixelles was therefore often daubed with paint.

If it depended on Mayor Christos Doulkeridis (Ecolo), the Emile Storms monument, protected since 1972, would be removed as early as June 30, 2020, on the 60th anniversary of Congo’s independence . However, Brussels State Secretary for Heritage, Pascal Smet (One.brussels-Vooruit) then asked to wait for the conclusions of the decolonization working group and the government’s subsequent action plan.

This working group was established in 2020 at the initiative of Smet and formulated their recommendations in February 2022 on how colonial heritage should be approached. Normally, the Brussels government would take a position on these recommendations before the regional agency Urban.brussels would develop an action plan in consultation with other regional agencies and administrations.

There is no trace of Emile Storms’ bust and his pedestal in Square de Meeûs.

However, Doulkeridis did not want to wait for that last stage. “The conclusions are now there and they are in line with what I think about this issue: there is no reason to leave this statue in public space,” he told BRUZZ in May this year. Yesterday, on June 30, 2022, he put his money where his mouth is and had the bust removed.

“That didn’t quite go according to the book,” says Valérie Mertens, spokeswoman for Pascal Smet. Today, the municipality received an official report from the ISA (the sanctioning body within Urban.brussels).

Urban planning violation

“The municipality of Ixelles has committed an offence with the removal of the Emile Storms monument,” confirms Thierry Wauters. He is director of Cultural Heritage at Urban.Brussels, the service that manages the advisory body Royal Commission of Monuments and Landscapes (KCML).

“The removal of a protected statute requires an urban planning application, which the municipality has failed to apply even though it is well aware of the procedure. The KCML normally gives advice, and a public inquiry must also be held, because it is a protected square,” explains Wauters.

No position from parliament yet

Moreover, parliament has not yet reached an agreement on what to do with the statues, Wauters knows. “Parliament has not yet taken a position on the basis of the advice formulated by the decolonization working group in February,” Mertens also says.

Wauters, in turn, expects a decision from the government by September on the decolonization of public space. “Ixelles acted too quickly,” he concludes. “By stubbornly removing the statue, the public debate about the decolonization of public space is crippled.”

It doesn’t look like Storms will ever be put back on his pedestal again. “We are now looking at how to regularise the violation,” said Pascal Smet’s spokeswoman. The intention is that the bust will be moved to a museum.

‘We have not received a PV’

In the Doulkeridis cabinet, however, things come out of the blue. “We have not yet received a PV from Urban.brussels,” says Aline Lacroix, spokeswoman for Mayor Christos Doulkeridis.

“We submitted an urban planning application in 2020, in which three conditions were formulated for the removal of the statue. All conditions have been met,” the spokeswoman said.

“First, a historical study had to be made of the park. That happened.” This showed that the marble statue of Storms is a copy from 1948 of an original older bronze statue from 1906. “The current statue is therefore not of the historical value that it should remain in public space.”

“We then had to wait for the advice of the decolonization working group. Their report was already presented in February.”

Finally, the statue had to be given a place in a museum. “There are now two options for this. Both the Ixelles Museum and the Royal Museums of Art and History have indicated that they want to place the image in its context.”

Related News:

  • EC fines Valve and PC game publishers for antitrust violation
  • Schaerbeek promises (internal) debate about removing bust Roger Nols
  • The conflict between Manhattn’s Burgers in Ixelles and its residents continues
  • Record beaten in 2021: 90,000 cars were fined on the Chaussée d’Ixelles
Next Post
High,Power,Electricity,Poles,In,Urban,Area.,Energy,Supply,,Distribution

EU power grid prepared to absorb Baltic countries

Latest post

EU-elections-UK

EU elections: UK looks on from the “outside”

1 year ago
Galeries-Royales-Saint-Hubert

What Makes Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert an “Institution”?

1 year ago

Most Read

    Follow Brussels Morning
    Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

    Browse Important News

    Belgium News
    Brussels News
    Culture and Society News
    Economy News
    EU Institutions News
    European Commission News
    European Council News
    European Parliament News
    Europe News
    Health And Fitness News
    Southeast Europe News
    Sustainable Perspective
    World News
    Diplomacy News
    US Elections News

    About Us

    Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

    More Info

    • About Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookies Policy

    Join Our Newsletter

    Brussels Morning Newspaper – All Rights Reserved © 2024

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Belgium News
      • Belgium Police News
      • Brussels News
    • Brussels Bubble
      • European Parliament News
      • European Commission News
      • European Council News
    • Wider Europe
      • Member States
    • World News
    • Business & Society
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Culture & Society
    • Policy Talks
      • Place de la Bourse
      • The Macro-Economist
      • Sustainable Perspective
      • Ambassador’s Corner
      • The American Angle
      • Southeast Europe
    • Print Magazine

    Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT