Totally trashed
More than the material damage, but also the numerous tags and graffiti on the walls, the hospitality establishment was stripped of its furniture and specialized equipment. He was totally trashed.
“We had purchased the right to lease the establishment in 2022, recalls Philippe Guglielmo who has had a series of disappointments in the context of this investment. We have carried out major renovation work both inside, including the apartment upstairs, as well as outside, with over 200,000 euros of investment. Everything had been refurbished, and equipped with professional equipment for the café and the chip shop. After being initially blocked by the brewery to which we are tied by a lease and which did not want the restaurant space, we found a manager. But the latter did not pay his dues, and after eight months of operation, we had to evict him in November 2023. After that, we wanted to resell the right to the lease, which the brewery again opposed and which currently leads us to legal proceedings.”
Student shelter
Thus, since the end of 2023, the building located just opposite the Saint-Luc Institute has been unoccupied. Some protective measures had been put in place to secure the premises.
Although looters were probably the first to enter the establishment to take away household appliances, sanitary equipment and other resalable goods (tables, chairs, etc.), the students then took refuge there. “When we entered the building, we came face to face with a student who was smoking a joint inside! Same thing when we were present, a young girl arrived, as if nothing had happened. was and as if it were a place open to all… while it remains private property The young people did not seem to realize that they were illegally squatting in this place… And if at least, they simply sheltered there in the warmth, but there, there are tags everywhere, benches have been put upstairs to create a living room, rubbish is strewn around…”
Philippe Guglielme deplores the lack of reaction from students but also from teachers. “After the first damage, they could have alerted the police to avoid further acts of vandalism and squatting…”
A complaint was filed with the police. “The damage will undoubtedly increase to more than 100,000 euros, which risks leading us to file for bankruptcy… It’s deplorable!”
