Filip Dewinter, a veteran politician with the right-wing Vlaams Belang party, has been attacked by a crowd at Antwerp city hall.
The altercation happened on October 9, when Dewinter, together with his colleague Anke Van dermeersch, entered the building and they were spotted by a family of migrant background attending a wedding celebration.
Two people from the Belgian-Moroccan group have been detained by police following the incident.
Footage of the confrontation was shared on social media platforms.
It showed a group of people yelling and hooting while a large man grabbed the 64-year-old Dewinter by the collar of his vest.
Dewinter is seen backing up inside and being pushed against the building.
Anke Van dermeersch, the person filming the scuffle, repeatedly urged those around them to “keep your hands off”.
A large group is seen surrounding the politician and talking at him.
Dewinter sustained injuries as a result of the incident.
He said he was spat at and pushed.
He sustained a minor head injury; he had a bleeding eyebrow and a black eye. Afterwards he made a statement to the police.
Dewinter, who has sat in the Flemish Parliament since 1995 and also holds a seat on Antwerp city council, said in a reaction to Brussels Signal that he went to the city hall to meet some local councillors and to sign the book of condolence for a popular singer who had passed away.
The register was opened on October 5 for John De Wilde, who sang with the Antwerp dialect group De Strangers and died at the age of 93.
Faced with the crowded entrance, Dewinter stated his mindset at the time: “I will not be intimidated; I will push right through it.”
Though on trying to make his way through the entrance hall, he was immediately recognised by members of the crowd, who began shouting “racist” and initiating a physical scuffle involving pushing and pulling.
He put the number of people in front of the building at about 50.
According to Dewinter, the situation escalated violently at the building’s entrance.
He was grabbed by an exceptionally large individual, whom he described as “a two-metre-tall brute”.
The assailant pinned Dewinter against the wall, grabbing him directly by the throat. He said between 10 and 15 people then struck him.
Dewinter described the total absence of security personnel and safety protocols as an absolute disaster.
He also noted a tactical detail regarding his attacker: Following the physical confrontation, the man who had pinned him by the throat reportedly changed his clothes in an attempt to avoid identification. Dewinter later said the man had been identified and questioned.
Fellow Vlaams Belang politician Anke Van dermeersch, who sits on Antwerp city council and is a former senator, was also scheduled to be at the city hall for the signing of the condolence book, which was located in the arrival hall.
Having arrived approximately 15 minutes earlier than Dewinter, she was already waiting by the register inside.
This contradicts claims in the press and by the media, where one person said Van dermeersch hit the mother of the bride who did not want to be filmed by her.
Relatives of the Belgian-Moroccan couple gave that version to the Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws.
Dewinter explicitly rejected any narratives suggesting the politicians provoked the crowd, calling such claims “utter nonsense” that they refuse to engage with.
He clarified that Van dermeersch only began filming with her mobile phone once the situation had completely spiralled out of control, capturing the violence as it unfolded.
Vlaams Belang chairman Tom Van Grieken also disputed reporting that Dewinter had been arrested at the scene. Dewinter said he had instead filed a complaint for assault and battery.
Reflecting on the wider implications of the altercation, Dewinter expressed deep concern over the state of the city.
He stated that as someone who has “seen a lot in this city”, the current situation has reached a breaking point.
He characterised Antwerp as an “occupied city,” claiming that an increasing demographic of people of foreign origin are becoming more arrogant and aggressive, ostentatiously acting as if the public space belongs to them.
“Direct punching and hitting, assault and battery, that is the reality in Antwerp today,” Dewinter warned, adding that immigrant groups are actively trying to assert their power over the city.
Immigration has been the central theme of Dewinter’s political career since he entered the Chamber of Representatives in 1987, and remains the issue on which Vlaams Belang has built its support in Flanders.
All video footage captured during the incident has been formally handed over to the Antwerp police to assist with their ongoing investigation.
