Belgian PM condemns synagogue attack; lawmaker faults ‘climate of impunity’ for antisemitism

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever issues a statement condemning an attack on a synagogue in his country early this morning, drawing ire from lawmakers who charged that the government should do more to counter antisemitism.

An explosion was reported at the synagogue early this morning in Liege, eastern Belgium, blowing out its windows and those of the building across the road at around 4 a.m.

No injuries were reported, with “only material damage,” a spokesman for the police in the city said in a statement.

“Antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally,” De Wever writes in a statement on X. “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liège and across the country.”

MP Michael Freilich, Belgium’s only Orthodox Jewish lawmaker, responds that government inaction on antisemitism created an environment that made such incidents possible.

“When antisemitism isn’t a priority for the public prosecutor’s office — with dozens of dismissed cases — it creates a climate of impunity,” Freilich writes on social media. “Physical attacks are, unfortunately, the predictable result. The once-promised zero tolerance for antisemitism is now colliding with an oversaturated justice system. My appeal to the government: finally address this.”