The European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg ended in chaos on October 10, with EP staff begging Eurocrats to “please stay calm” after a locomotive appeared to “explode” in the city’s train station.
Eyewitness reports relayed to Brussels Signal indicate that the locomotive unit powering the Eurostar Thalys train from Strasbourg to Brussels — which is specially booked to carry EU bureaucrats — experienced a catastrophic failure, with a loud bang erupting across the station. The train was reportedly rendered inoperable as a result.
MEPs and assistants are said to have quickly abandoned the affected train, with firefighters piling into the building to deal with the emergency.
Eurocrats quickly received an email from the parliament explaining that a “technical problem” had occurred with the train, and that they were working with the operator to “find a solution”.
“Please stay calm,” the email read.
Fear of potential danger quickly turned to annoyance, with some assistants reporting that after a multi-hour delay, they were refused boarding to the next available train.
One aide described their replacement service departing four hours after the initially scheduled train.
Another insider delayed by multiple hours described receiving a rations package of sorts from transport staff, with the box of supplies said to contain a bottle of water and a pre-packed meal.
When asked to give Brussels Signal a review of the food, the member of staff said that any issues they may have had with it paled in comparison with what ended up awaiting them in Brussels.
“Well they didn’t leave the same bitter aftertaste as arriving at [Brussels Midi station] at 12 in the night and just barely escaping a group mugging due to all taxis cancelling the ride,” they said.
The staff member added it was the second time someone had tried to rob them in the city within the last three months.
A sharp rise in crime around the Brussels-Midi train station has gained public attention in Belgium after a video of a family left stranded there for a night went viral. https://t.co/ZyAnOzm0hI
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 28, 2023
Brussels Midi has gained a reputation for being one of the most dangerous train stations in Europe, with local police and prosecutors openly admitting they are unable to clamp down on the violence in the key transit hub.
Right-wing politicians in the country have linked the violence to the extreme levels of migration seen by Brussels, with over three-quarters of the city’s residents either being non-Belgians, or Belgians with a migrant background.
The October 10 evening of chaos follows a tense session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Meant to be a venue for Hungary — as the current head of the EU’s rotating presidency — to present its programme for its time in the role, the plenary devolved into a glorified shouting match, with Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and members of her so-called “Grand Coalition” berating Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his right-wing views, including on migration.
Other politicians were more constructive. Nicola Procaccini, the co-chair of the European Conservative and Reformist group, praised Orbán for his desire to tackle the problem posed by mass migration and Europe’s ageing population.
However, he expressed concern about Hungary’s position on Russia. Procaccini warned that Budapest was not paying enough attention to the dangers posed by the alliance of “China, Russia, Iran and North Korea”.
The Italian argued that this “quartet of chaos” was the “antithesis of freedom, justice, beauty and democracy”, adding that all Europeans must learn to perceive these nations as a serious external threat.
Orbán predicted the previous day that his EU presidency presentation in the chamber would be derailed by parliamentarians looking to speak on other issues.
Read the full article 👉🏽 https://t.co/LHmDYxTnJo pic.twitter.com/zzT59S77tB
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 9, 2024
