Belgium withdraws the status of refugee to Mohammed Khatib, figure of the pro-Palestinian organization Samidoun

The general police station for refugees and stateless persons (CGRA) decided to withdraw the status of refugee to Mohammed Khatib, European coordinator of the Pro-Palestinian organization Samidoun. The interested party, who has lived in Belgium since 2015 and would live in Saint-Gilles, confirmed the news on Wednesday evening at the Belga agency.

Activities deemed problematic

According to Belgian authorities, this decision is motivated by Khatib’s activities within Samidoun, an international network of support for Palestinian prisoners. The Belgian government considers this organization as radical and extremist. After The eveningKhatib is listed by the OCAM (coordination body for threat analysis) as “hatred preacher”. He announced his intention to appeal against the CRGG’s decision.

An evolving legal framework

This withdrawal comes in a tense political context. Before the summer break, the federal government has approved a bill brought by the Minister of the Interior Bernard Quintin (MR) to prohibit the activities of “radical organizations”. Prime Minister Bart de Wever (N-VA) then declared that “organizations like Samidoun glorify terrorist acts while escaping the proceedings for incitement to hatred”.

Samidoun in the viewfinder of several countries

Since the start of the war in Gaza, Samidoun regularly attracts the attention of the Jewish authorities and associations, who denounce his positions. In November 2023, the organization was prohibited in Germany for supposed dissemination of anti -Semitic content and apology for terrorist groups, notably Hamas.

Samidoun denounces a political maneuver

The organization says that it will not be reduced to silence. “We will go to the Constitutional Court, in the street, in the media. This text aims to silence support for Palestine,” said Mohammed Khatib during a public speaking.

According to him, the law is not dictated by Belgian society but by political motivations: “People do not demonstrate in Brussels against Samidoun, they demonstrate against a genocide.” The League for Human Rights also worried this development, accusing the government of wanting to muzzle militant associations without going through a judge.