On October 16, 2023, Belgium was once again struck by terror. Two Swedish nationals lost their lives and another person was seriously injured in the attack. The taxi driver who transported the victims still bears heavy scars from this tragedy. A year after the attack, he is still waiting for justice to be served.
It is a painful memory that Belgium still carries. On October 16, 2023, in Brussels, a man, dressed in a fluorescent vest and equipped with a weapon, persists. A first shootout breaks out. Then the assailant starts chasing a taxi. This one carries Swedish football supporters. They are in the capital to attend a football match.
This pursuit on the main roads of Brussels is intensifying. Questioned by RTL info a few days after the events, the taxi driver said. “It was boulevard d’Anspach at 136. I took some customers, they were three Swedes. Everything was normal, we were talking, we were discussing on the road, calm…” After a few minutes, Adam* hears “clash on the right window”. It breaks, but at that moment, the driver is unaware that they are bullet holes. “I thought it was someone throwing stones at me after a maneuver.” Adam gets out of his vehicle to do a few checks, then leaves. That’s where he sees this man, particularly threatening. “I saw him in the rearview mirror of my car he had something in his hands. When I saw his eyes I told myself it wasn’t just someone, it was more serious than that. ” The driver ends up dropping off his customers to try to shelter them. They get out of the taxi, the assailant opens fire with an AR-15 type rifle. Two people die.
“I am no longer the same”
One year after the events, the association dedicated to victims of terrorism Life for Brussels would like to pay tribute to the deceased and their families, as well as to the injured and his loved ones. But the association also highlights another victim: the taxi driver. “We have been completely forgotten, left behind”he testifies. “Since October 16, I have not been the same. Every day is a fight, a heavy weight to carry, and sometimes I wonder how much longer I can hold on. We have the impression of being beggars. life no longer has any meaning. I relive this endless day, and I wonder why no one considers me.
Today, Adam lives with the physical and psychological after-effects of this nightmarish night. A victim of post-traumatic stress syndrome, he now feels abandoned by the authorities and society.
An ignored hero
Recognized as a victim of an act of terrorism, this taxi driver nevertheless did not receive adequate compensation for the serious consequences of the attack. Although he obtained national solidarity status, this support remained symbolic, without any financial compensation commensurate with his needs. Indeed, at the time of the attack, legal loopholes prevented any proper compensation, plunging this man and his family into a critical financial situation.
This lack of support does not result from a refusal of insurance, but from a legislative vacuum which, at that time, did not allow sufficient support for such cases.
A fight for fair justice
As early as 2017, the Life for Brussels association alerted the authorities to the urgency of reforming the law so that all victims of attacks can benefit from help, whatever the context. But we had to wait until 2024 for this legislation to finally be modified. Too late for the taxi driver.
This man, who faced death to protect his passengers, today struggles to provide for his family. The little aid received from the Commission for Financial Assistance to Victims of Intentional Acts of Violence and from its insurance is insufficient. Today he is awaiting real recognition of his damage.
A still fragile hope
Thanks to the action of Life for Brussels, a meeting was organized with the office of the Minister of the Economy, the only political figure to have reacted and to have maintained the dialogue. But the fate of this victim now rests on a decision by the Financial Aid Commission, which will determine the aid to which he will be eligible. This help, although expected, is only a gesture of solidarity, far from complete compensation, leaving Adam in a very precarious situation.
A call to action
On the occasion of the commemoration of this attack, Life for Brussels therefore calls on the Minister of Justice to intervene and grant this taxi driver the support and recognition requested.
attack of October 16 Brussels terrorism
