The mayor of Molenbeek, Catherine Moureaux, sparked controversy with her project for a youth center dedicated to teenage girls, accused of promoting single-sex sex. Criticized by the MR for possible complacency towards political Islam, this initiative is part of a tense campaign climate around community issues in Brussels.
The mayor of Molenbeek, Catherine Moureaux, candidate for her own re-election, presented a project that is close to her heart during an intervention in an Islamic place. This is a youth center dedicated to adolescent girls: “It is a special youth center for young girls. For what ? Because young girls, teenagers from 13-14 years old, sometimes younger, don’t really want to be with young boys. They want to get together and confide in each other, to talk about things safely without the boys watching. They have the right to do that. Today, young girls do not go to youth centers because of this“.
According to the mayor, this project was born from the observation that many young girls no longer attend mixed youth centers. This place, called “well-being house”, is part of a neighborhood contract financed by the Region and should see the light of day in five to seven years.
Strongly criticized by the MR
This statement sparked intense controversy after the broadcast of a video on the social network X, viewed nearly 200,000 times. Political figures, mainly from the MR, accused Catherine Moureaux of promoting a form of segregation and of making concessions to political Islam. Georges-Louis Bouchez, president of the MR, as well as other personalities such as David Weytsman, candidate for MR mayor in Brussels, strongly criticized the initiative, judging it contrary to the principles of equality between men and women. “In this matter, this vision is the opposite of the universalist project that I carry: a project where girls and boys flourish together, without divisions. Let’s offer our young people places where they meet, exchange and grow together“, denounces David Weytsman, candidate for MR mayor in Brussels.
For her part, Catherine Moureaux reacted by specifying that the project would not be exclusively reserved for young girls, but that part of the facilities would be primarily intended for them. In the midst of the electoral campaign, this project takes place in a context where the community question is taking on more and more space, particularly due to the repercussions of the conflict in the Middle East in Brussels. The mayor, who faces internal criticism within the PS and competition from the PTB and other lists, is trying to mobilize a specific electorate in this political battle.
Molenbeek controversy catherine moureaux #PS #MR
