No memorial plaque for boy killed in police pursuit in park

An 11-year-old boy killed in June by a police car when he was riding an electric scooter in Elizabeth Park, Ganshoren, will not have a plaque to remember him by.

The memorial stone supposed to honour Fabian has not been allowed by Brussels Environment - at least for now.

“Our institution ensures that the universal and neutral function of green spaces is preserved,” said Brussels Environment, after consultation with Brussels environment minister Alain Maron (Ecolo).

“We prefer discreet and symbolic forms of tribute, such as planting a tree, which allows relatives to mourn while respecting the neutrality of a place that belongs to everyone.”

Simon Steverlinck of Heroes for Zero, the non-profit organisation that with the community centre GC De Platoo submitted an application to Brussels Environment demanding a permanent memorial to the child from Moldova, expressed his disappointment.

The two groups are calling for a bench to be installed in the park spanning Koekelberg and Ganshoren for mourners, as well as a plaque.

For Steverlinck, a tree would just fade into the background. “That’s not what Fabian’s mother wants either. She still goes to the place where Fabian died every day and would like something permanent. You can’t expect her to sit down on a tree every day, can you?” he said.

He told Brussels Environment that he “does not understand” what the minister is referring to when he talks about maintaining the neutrality of the park.

"Fabian’s tragic death in this park is just a fact. Acknowledging this and responding appropriately does not jeopardise this neutrality in any way," said Steverlinck.

"The park is now full of benches. Is it really too much to ask to put a small memorial plaque on one of those benches in memory of Fabian?

"In Schaerbeek [where, in November 2017, De Standaard designer Stephanie Verbraekel was killed crossing the Chaussée de Haecht] that was possible. So why not here?"

The non-profit organisations want Brussels Environment and the minister to reconsider their position. But the environmental body informed Bruzz that Elisabeth Park is a protected park with strict rules about what is and is not allowed.

“A memorial stone or monument, for example, is therefore not possible. So, the decision to plant a tree in his memory has already been made. In addition, together with the family and the organisations that support them, we will see if there are any other elements that can be placed there.”

Meanwhile, Fabian’s mother is going to meet the police officer who hit her son, resulting in his death, adding that it would give her “peace of mind”.