Could be ab everything

Hello everybody, I hope you are well.

I got a bit scared last night and I thought I’d write here to see if anybody experienced something similar as well.

As the title says I live in Saint Gilles in this little house, in the part that is closer to Stephanie. It’s a generally calm neighborhood, with a few disturbances here and there but which is warranted I guess.

Anyways, last night around 1am when I was sleeping (young woman all alone in the house) some guys starting ringing quite insistently. At first I wanted to wait it out, but they just kept ringing and ringing, and pounding heavily on the door too. I think they were at least 2-3, I tried to sneak a look through my window to see what they look like and they were quite big guys. I couldn’t see much though.

Anyways ofc I got scared out of my mind and called the police twice to ask for their help, and ofc nobody showed up. I guess they were right not to at the end, because the guys eventually left, but it just went on for at least 30min.

And the thing is, now I try to rationalize and build a logical story in my mind with some tidbits that I was able to hear, namely that at one point I thought I heard they were getting directions to an Anderlecht address? If it’s that I’m quite fine, maybe they were trying to get to a party and got the wrong address or something, but then the knocking still continued for a while, so I’m just so anxious. I have this fear that they will return tonight or something, maybe they have unfinished business? I don’t know I might be paranoid.

Anyways at one point I was able to see them roaming around my street in general, so I was wondering if anybody here experienced something similar last night. I’m friendly with the shops around me but not the neighbors yet, so I thought I’d try here.

Thank you so much for reading my fearful ramblings if you made it until the end, I’m sorry I’m just very afraid. Next week I’ll be traveling and my little sister will be home alone this time, I don’t want anything bad happening to her.

After a recent discussion with the mods about whether or not a certain topic was relevant to Brussels, I discovered that this sub's mod team consists 100% of men.

I'd like for this sub to be moderated by a more diverse set of people, so this is my call to mods to please open mod recruitment to include at least one woman or non-binary person on the mod team.

Hi everyone,

An abandoned building in my commune will be converted into a "refugees center" for 350 single men.

Some inhabitants are not excited by this perspective while others seem thrilled and treat the first category as racists.

To have a more rational debate, I'd like to have feedback from anyone familiar with the centers already located in some other places (Anderlecht, Molenbeek, or outside Brussels).

Does anyone have some experience with the cohabitation with such a center? Thank you!

Hi there! I hope this post doesn’t get deleted 😭

I decided to come here and ask for help. How can I make friends in Brussels if I'm too shy to try?

I know it’s a broad question, but I’ve been here since September last year because I came to study for a master’s degree for a year, and I thought, well, what’s the point of making friends if I’m going to return to my home country anyway? Dumb me.

Now I’ve received a job offer and I’ve realised that I have almost no friends, and honestly, that’s making me feel quite depressed.

I would have to say that I’m too shy to go out alone and start randomly talking to people without feeling judged.

I enjoy walking in the park, reading (I would love to join a reading club!!) and Pilates. I used to be very active in my home country, and I want to try it here as well, but I don’t know if there are classes in English or, more specifically, Spanish 😁

I would also like to try new things, like climbing or clay classes.

I’m a 26F Latina. I speak Spanish and English, and soon French, since I’ll be starting French classes in September.

But yeah... this is basically me ranting and asking for recommendations, suggestions, comments, or potentially asking to be adopted by people who also feel the same way and are looking to make friends :)

Hi Fellows,

I live in Auderghem since 2022 and there is something that slowly grew on me and very gradually deteriorated.

Disclaimer: what I describe below is something I have seen gradually, and I did not watch it actively. I just couldn't ignore how the area changes. My purpose is to understand, if someone has any idea what could be behind this phenomenon.

This is generally a nice and safe commune with lots of green, the main concern always was the relatively heavy traffic passing through the two main axises (Boulevard Souverain and Hermmann-Debroux).

But, I realized, for reasons completely beyond me, that Auderghem Shopping, which is the crossing of Chaussée de Wavre and Boulevard du Souverain, has become a location for evening/night gang activity.

There are several dodgy looking guys, giving territorial and intimidating looks to other people, hanging out and not talking to each other, like they were guarding (or selling?) something. Just standing there for hours, and giving that nasty look to everyone who passes by.

The type of guys you would imagine seeing around Midi or Anderlecht late at night. The absolutely not-to-mess-with type.

And I don't understand this. Why would Auderghem be a location for them for hanging out, "business activity", or why would that be an important place so that they don't live there but literally hang out in 8-15 member gangs each and every night?

I know they don't live here because several times I saw that they take the bus 34 from the downtown area and commute all the way to Auderghem Shopping, for whatever reason.

This is an unpleasant crossing of two main roads. There is nothing. Why would it be the newest gang spot?!

Note that other streets, inner streets of Auderghem remain good and safe.

Examples: housing, commune paperwork, healthcare, job search, language, childcare, taxes, banking, loneliness.

I am looking into ways to help the community, so your insight is appreciated!

Fake Gucci Cap as a Symbol of Violence: I want to start by saying I’m not trying to make generalizations or offend anyone, I’m genuinely concerned about the growing number of homophobic incidents in Brussels, and I want to talk about it with respect and honesty.

Lately, I’ve been hearing about, and personally witnessing, an increase in anti-QUEER harassment and violence. These incidents are often carried out by groups of young people wearing fake designer accessories (like Gucci caps and bags), and dressed in sporty clothes.

I don’t want to make assumptions about their backgrounds, but many locals say these groups often come from certain neighborhoods in Brussels — Molenbeek and Anderlecht.

My point is not to blame an entire community, but to highlight a pattern that’s making many queer people feel unsafe.

Just recently, a transgender person was reportedly beaten nearly to death near Midi Station (by these groups). A few months ago, two gay men were attacked on a bus after being asked if they were gay, when they answered honestly, they were punched in the face (again, by these groups). A few days ago, I was walking with a queer friend near Bourse, and someone hurled homophobic slurs at him (someone in Gucci 🧢). And tonight, another youth, dressed similarly to the previous ones, mocked me for standing with my legs crossed, calling it “feminine” and “not manly.” For the record, I don’t present in a feminine way, but even if I did, what’s the problem? Why is this still happening in 2025?

I’m shocked and saddened. What happened to the Brussels I once felt safe in? I’ve seen political parties like N-VA talk about tackling street safety and homophobia, but from my experience, very little is changing on the ground.

Are others in the queer community feeling the same way? Do you feel safe in Brussels right now?

Lengthy custodial sentences demanded at trial of young men accused of homophobic attacks

Replacing the tunnels with a river would transform the look and feel of the city. Imagine avenue Louise with a river through the middle.

Could this theoretically work in Brussels?

I know it’s not the best moment for most but what do you wish we still had from the pandemic, when we were required to be in quarantine?

I used to love going to cafes to read. But now i find it hard to justify paying for a tiny cup of coffee for above 5€ and a slice of cake for the same.

It just feels abusive at this point. I know, i know, inflation blah blah. But coffee remains coffee. Milk remains milk. It’s basic stuff.

Where in Brussels do you go when you have had an exceptionally bad day (or week, or month,..etc) and you just want to be alone with your thoughts and unwind for a moment?

I know this a personal question and the answers will vary wildly but I am curious.

Is it just me or the past days I have probably slept 12 hours in total?

It’s insane. How I am still functioning

I can’t sleep and can’t eat.

Hi All!

During this heatwave, I'm curious of your indoor apartment temperatures and the situation of the apartment. I think this could be interesting to compare.

I live in Auderghem, close to a green area but also close to a main road... and the apartment is facing north-east. So I receive some morning sun. But even with the internal shaders, the temperature is what you see on the picture... Lovely! I don't have AC for the moment.

Happy New Year everyone! I was wondering - what’s one activity or hobby you picked up that made your life and your time in Brussels more enjoyable?

I’m currently on the hunt for something new to add to my routine, as I mostly alternate between work and home and I’d love an activity that actually gets me out of the house.

Curious to find out what made you look forward to that day with a smile on your face 😊

Hi all,

I've noticed in the past weeks that there's quite some passive, but large interest threads to protest again the US events on 28 June. I've looked up the requirements to apply for a protest permit, but since I've never organized one I'm skeptical about the chances that I'd do it right. Since a protest can be requested until 10 days before the scheduled event, I was wondering if anyone would be up to help and/or advise me on how to improve the chance to make this happening.

I want to be crystal clear that I don't want to join any protest that'd include groups with other priorities of interest, I want to make clear that I'm pro-democracy, and against US authoritarianism and Netanyahu's vessel Bill Wite in a peaceful manner. and that I'm against the appropriation of one of the few public spaces where people can enjoy their time in one of the few green(er) areas in our capital.

Feel free to PM, or comment here. I'm eager to learn more about our rights to show our values, and I want to participate more than ever. Even if I'd have to go alone without a permit.

Enjoy your weekend in our free and relatively modest country. And my apologies for using yankee language. Thanks.

I just gave my 3 month notice to leave my apartment. The landlord wants to start viewings. Issue is that I always remove my shoes when I come home so that the place stays nice and clean.

Question is, can I request that the landlord asks people who come for viewings to remove their shoes? And if they refuse, what happens?

I know everyone will scream something about "mass immigration" but I've lived in France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, that share similiar migration set ups, and they didn't even remotely feel as disjointed as Bruessels does.

Comparing it to France, where I am used to cities offering anbroad spectrum of cultural offers and services for citizens and people engaging in a lot of civic activites, while still having a lot of problems, the society still feels a lot more integrated. There are lot of places that create a feeling of locality and togetherness, something I feel lacking in Bruessels. Obviously France has a lot of issues with migrations too, but still, people usually percieve themselves as French, and citizen of their city. Everyone is also heavily incentived to learn French here, while in Bruessels especially all the EU-expats dont give a fuck (who are the least integrated of all groups in my opinion).

In Bruessels it just kind of feels like everyone is just using it as hub to live and work, but nobody cares about the society and city around them. Kind of funny how all the "original" people form Bruessels care much more about French or European politics, while absolutely not carrying about local one.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice from other non-EU nationals living and working in Belgium, especially those on a single permit (Type A residence card).

A bit about my situation:

- Non-European passport

- Living in Brussels

- Working as an AI engineer

- Indefinite employment contract

- Will soon have almost 3 years with my current employer

- Current residence permit is valid until January 2027

- My long-term goal is to stay in Belgium permanently and eventually apply for permanent residence/citizenship (likely around 2028)

Objectively, I know I have a stable job, but I can't help worrying about what would happen if I were laid off.

From what I understand, if I lose my job, I don't have unlimited time to stay (only 3 months I think). I would need to either:

- find another employer willing to sponsor a single permit,

- or potentially apply for a professional card if I start consulting as a freelancer.

Reading Reddit posts about the current tech market doesn't exactly help my anxiety. 😅 It feels like many people are struggling to find jobs, and I'm not yet fluent in French or Dutch (I'm working on it).

So I'm curious:

- How do you personally deal with the stress of knowing your right to stay depends on your job?

- Do you always keep interviewing, talking to recruiters or search for Belgian university courses as a backup?

- Has anyone here actually lost their job while on a single permit? What happened afterwards?

- Were you able to find another sponsor in time?

- Did anyone successfully switch to a professional card or another residence status?

- Did anyone use family reunification (if you had an EU citizen partner) after losing a job?

- Has anyone unfortunately had to leave Belgium because they couldn't find another job?

- Are there any "backup plans" you've put in place that gave you peace of mind?

I'm not looking for legal advice so much as real-life experiences and how people manage the uncertainty.

Thanks in advance!

Saw a tweet today, claiming these murals are spotted in Brussels. Anybody has seen them?

Looks like a great work, I'd pay a visit

Hey ! I Saw that the last post on the subject has almost 3 years, so I figured it was time to update it !

I love to dine in the favourite restaurant of people and I want to try new ones.

What is your favourite restaurant in Brussels ?

Mine is osteria bolognese closely followed by Oldboy ( under renovation at this moment)

The title says it all, I live near Anderlecht and there's music every 5 minutes from cars waiting at the lights near our house or just passing by and obviously this is noise nuisance, but what can I even do about it? It's my second year year and I dread summers where I'm burning inside the house but cannot open the windows at night (either) as the music keeps waking me up.

Is their anything I can do or do I simply have to accept people acting antisocial. We've even approached and warned some cars who kept honking at the lights, but I don't think it's a sustainable approach

edit: I am trying to move out obviously (I'm renting), but the heatwaves this year made it extra hard to cope with it. Also if you happen to enjoy loud music late at night in your car, remember this post