Record-low road deaths in Belgium, but not for cyclists
Fewer people than ever died in traffic accidents across Belgium last year — but in Brussels, it was a deadlier year for cyclists.
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Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
All that is dire in Britain now was seen in the tawdry way it celebrated VE Day
My first thoughts on hearing news of the (inevitable) retaliatory attacks by India on Pakistan were not on the many unfortunate victims (with many more to come)…
French university has funding cut over its ‘Islamo-leftist drift’
All regional public funding to Lyon 2 University has been cut over concerns about "Islamo-leftist drift" within the institution.
New German interior minister orders immediate end to asylum claims at borders
Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s new Conservative interior minister, has ordered a halt of asylum procedures at Germany’s foreign borders effective immediately…
Canton of Zurich offers 90% off for name alterations if combined with change of gender
The Swiss canton of Zurich, an administrative unit of Switzerland, has been offering large discounts on official name changes - if they were combined with a change…
Sweden’s Left Party kicks out MP from group over anti-Semitism accusation
Swedish Left Party MP Lorena Delgado Varas has been expelled from the party's parliamentary group after she made several inflammatory remarks on social media.
Germany’s CDU demands removal of AfD members from public service
The German Office for the Protection of the Constitution's (BfV) decision to designate the right-wing AfD party as “definitely right-wing extremist” has caused…
Pro-Palestinian protestors target Dutch WW2 liberation commemorations
Pro-Palestinian protesters have disrupted a ceremony commemorating the Netherlands' liberation from Nazi occupation 80 years ago.
AfD faces calls to be banned after German State brands party ‘extremist’
The German Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution (Bfv) categorised the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as "definitely right-wing extremist", sparking…
Italy sees sudden surge in migrant arrivals by sea
The Italian Government has found itself scrambling to explain a sudden surge in migrant sea arrivals that appeared to upend earlier claims of successful migration…
Parts of Brussels housing market impacted by drugs issues
The Belgian capital Brussels has remained the country’s most expensive region for real estate but concerns over illegal drug activity have driven sharp local price…
Prosecutors pursue Polish football fans over banner mocking PM Tusk’s presidential candidate
Poland’s public prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into banners put up in April by Legia Warsaw football fans during a home game.
Entire AfD party is ‘definitely right-wing extremist’, says German Constitution watchdog
The German Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has announced it categorised the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as “definitely right-wing…
Berlin ‘anti-fascists’ chase minister from Labour Day celebrations
Karl Lauterbach, outgoing health minister in Germany’s progressive traffic-light government, was forced to flee radical Socialist Labour Day celebrations after…
Security without deterrence
As the geometry of international relations alters under the shockwaves emanating from the White House, old assumptions about alliances begin to fray.
Spanish police detain German couple who allegedly kept their kids locked up for years
In Oviedo, the capital of Asturias autonomous region in northern Spain, police have arrested a couple who allegedly kept their three children locked inside their…
More young French people reject heterosexuality and gender ‘norms’
A growing number of young French adults are turning away from heterosexuality and traditional gender roles, according to a new report from the French Institute for…
UK trans former judge to challenge British gender ruling at European court
Britain’s first transgender judge, Victoria McCloud, said she planned to sue the British government at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) following a UK…
New reports highlight surge in workplace depression in Europe
Workplace stress and depression in the European Union have surged, costing billions of euro annually and leading to thousands of deaths each year, new data has disclosed.
The next pope must be a warrior for Christ, not a surrendered soul
As the Catholic Church stands at a crossroads, its throne vacant and its flock besieged, the next pope will not merely shepherd 1.4 billion souls.
French Socialist MP suffers ‘anti-semitic’ insults at rally against Islamophobia
French Socialist MP Jérôme Guedj has been subjected to what appeared to be anti-semitic insults during a rally against Islamophobia.
ECHR orders Poland to recognise same-sex partnerships
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Poland must provide legal recognition and protection for same-sex unions to meet the country's obligation…
Civilisation needs revival, not a pope who wants Thunberg and a keffiyeh on Jesus
There have been many thoughtful comments about the recently deceased Pope Francis in the pages of Brussels Signal, all of them by people who are better versed in…
French minister refutes court ruling, says Muslim school a ‘bastion of Islamist influence’
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau has challenged the decision to reinstate public funding for the private Averroès Muslim secondary school in Lille following…
How the Right can win the world: Taking nationalism international
It does not take a political scientist to understand that the Western populist-right has been on a roll lately.
German programme for subsidised remigration sees fewer than 500 Syrians apply
A German programme designed to incentivise Syrian asylum seekers to return to their home country has failed to result in large-scale remigration.
Brussels officially declares itself an ‘anti-fascist city’
Brussels municipal council has unanimously approved a motion declaring the Belgian capital an “anti-fascist city".
Northern elites panic: Will Greece, Italy, and Spain become their human wastelands?
The EU’s southern frontier - Greece, Italy, and Spain - teeters on the edge of collapse, battered by a migration crisis that Brussels aggravates.
Thousands sign petition for women-only compartments on Berlin metro
A petition for compartments for women only on Berlin’s public transport network has received more than 15,000 signatures in just nine days.
Swedish Supreme Court rules Sweden-born teenage murderer can be deported
Sweden’s Supreme Court has ruled that a teenager, born in Sweden, can be deported to Gambia following his murder conviction.