Vooruit.brussels wants the planned memorial stone for 11-year-old Fabian in Elisabeth Park in Ganshoren to go ahead. The idea came from the non-profit organisation Heroes for Zero and GC De Platoo, but was rejected by Leefmilieu Brussel and the responsible minister Alain Maron (Ecolo). He says he wants to talk to Fabian's family, but emphasised during the plenary meeting in the Brussels parliament that no monument could be built. “I can't understand this,” reacts Brussels MP Ilyas Mouani (Vooruit.brussels) indignantly.
The death of 11-year-old Fabian from Brussels, who was hit by a police van in June, sent shockwaves through Brussels and beyond. As the devastation surrounding the incident is still significant, the associations Heroes for Zero and Gemeenschapscentrum De Platoo asked Leefmilieu Brussel for a permanent memorial in Elisabeth Park in Ganshoren, where the boy lost his life. However, Leefmilieu Brussel and the responsible minister for the environment, Alain Maron (Ecolo), refused. “We prefer discreet and symbolic forms of tribute, such as planting a ‘remarkable’ tree,” the minister also emphasised in parliament.
Ilyas Mouani, Brussels Member of Parliament for Vooruit.brussels, reacts with complete bewilderment at that decision. “I can't get my head around that,” he says. “The regional parks are full of memorial stones, like the Obelisk for Human Rights in Tour & Taxis park, for example. In Schaarbeek, a memorial stone was placed where De Standaard journalist Stephanie Vanbraekel was run over. A bus stop was named after Mehdi. But for an 11-year-old child who tragically died... we plant a tree. In a park.”
The difference between word and deed
According to Mouani, this indicates a clear difference between word and deed:
“Following Fabian's death, we were all outraged,” he continues. “The minister and his party too. But a permanent memorial apparently is too much to ask. Everyone still remembers Fabian, and the grief we collectively felt after his death. There is a definite need for a permanent place where relatives can mourn.”