The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) has decided that Belgium did not violate the European Social Charter during police operations targeting two Travellers' sites in April 2020.
The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) had complained that the seizure of caravans and property by the Belgian police in the Couillet and Jumet areas of Charleroi was disproportionate, offered no alternative solutions to the families concerned and exposed them to hardships and health risks - including those associated with COVID-19.
The ERRC considered that the police operations amounted to ethnically targeted collective punishment.
In its decision, the ECSR concluded by 8 votes to 7 that the Belgian authorities had not violated the Charter. The Committee found that alternative accommodation was offered to the people affected, and it did not appear that Travellers in the areas concerned were specifically targeted.
The Committee's decision, which is final, has been published together with two dissenting opinions and one concurring opinion from its members.
