From The Brussels Times
The Kurdish community in Antwerp is in shock following a stabbing attack during a protest on Thursday evening that left six people injured.
Two of the victims were in a critical condition in hospital after the incident in the port city of Antwerp near the Operaplein (Opera Square), police spokesperson Wouter Bruyns said.
Four of the people who were stabbed were found in the square, with two others nearby in the vicinity of Rooseveltplaats and Sint-Elisabethstraat, local reports suggested
The protest was organised by Navbel, a local association, to denounce violence in northern Syria. It had concluded peacefully when the attack occurred. According to Mazlum Kilic, the president of Navbel, as the crowd was being dismissed, a group of four or five assailants reportedly began shouting “Allah Akbar” and stabbing people.
Navbel suspects the attack was a planned act of terror perpetrated by the Islamic State (IS). They claim the attackers carried the new Syrian flag and allege that the intention was to silence them from addressing ongoing issues in Syria.
Kilic further asserted that the Kurdish community has long fought against IS, and he believes Kurds are once again being targeted by jihadists. He mentioned reports of a fatwa calling for their assassination and the violation of their women, heightening fears within the community.
Navbel is urging the police, the public prosecutor, and Antwerp’s mayor, Els Van Doesburg, to classify the incident as terrorism.
“We expect the Belgian police and judiciary to view and treat this act as such,” a statement read. “This is no different from jihadists who specifically attack civilians in the streets, at Christmas markets, or other public places. . . The Belgian Government must acknowledge that Kurds, even in Antwerp, are victims of hate speech and racist and jihadist-inspired violence.”
Police and prosecutors are investigating whether the attack was terrorism-related. Four suspects were arrested, but one has since been released. For now, authorities have classified the incident as attempted murder.
