Brussels pulls plug on anti-radicalisation project after criticism

Brussels playwright Ismaël Saidi has pulled out of a film project against radicalisation, shortly after it was announced that the Brussels-Capital Region would provide €275,000 to support the project. Saidi faced harsh criticism, especially from various politicians, after the plans were made known to the public, the playwright told Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort in a letter leaked to Le Soir.

"It's too much to be accused of nepotism, a lack of transparency and being the lapdog of the PS (Socialist Party)," Saidi wrote. The Region's funding was to go to finance an educational project set up by the 39-year-old playwright and author of Jihad, a short play about three young radicalised Muslims who leave Brussels to fight in Syria.

Vervoort (pictured above) reacted shocked and disappointed by the news. "In no way was this ever a form of patronage or favouritism," he wrote in response to Saidi's withdrawal. While the minister-president respects Saidi's decision, he regrets the fact that “politics got in the way of a valuable project.”

"We just wanted to support an initiative that is unique in its kind," said Vervoort.