The mayor of the Brussels municipality in which Samidoun's reenactment of the October 7 massacre took place had been informed before the day of the event's expected nature, despite claiming there was no indication that such scenes would occur.
This was revealed to the Jerusalem Post by Georges-Louis Bouchez, president of the French-speaking liberal party MR, who shared the email that he, alongside Mayor Jean Spinette, had received prior to the event in question.
On 7 June, pro-Palestinian activists dressed as Hamas terrorists reenacted the October 7 Massacre in central Brussels during the third annual Samidoun-organized "Resistance Festival."
Videos from the event show masked men in keffiyehs and army fatigues pointing prop guns, while other actors play dead bodies heaped on the floor. The re-enactment, accompanied by music and a voice-over about “From the river to the sea,” was met with whoops, cheers, and applause from the audience.
The incident caused outrage among Jewish and Israel groups, as well as many Belgian politicians. Mayor Spinette of Saint-Gilles announced that he had sought police advice before authorizing the event, but that “The information in our possession did not allow for a priori prohibition without jeopardizing freedom of expression.”
He added that he was "outraged" at the images he saw, and claimed that Samidoun had agreed with the municipality that it would not make explicit or implicit reference to Hamas or Hezbollah, and would not incite hatred or violence.
Bouchez, however, disputed this on X, saying, “Jean Spinette was perfectly aware of this event and of the radicals who planned it. He was informed of it in an email, a copy of which I have."
The Post asked Bouchez for a copy of the email, which was sent on May 30 to Spinette, Belgian police, and also Katharina Von Schnurbein of the European Commission.
With the subject "Resistance Festival - kalashnikovs and terrorism apologism in Saint-Gilles?", the letter, sent by Olivia Emet, clearly laid out Samidoun's intentions for the festival.
The email includes screenshots of the group's manifesto, as well as promos for the event and event-related advertising.
"From the offset of this video, there is the unambiguous sound and visual of a weapon being loaded," it says.
The email also informed Spinette and the police that a "Rise and Resist" stand would be available "where donations will be collected alongside the sale of keffiyehs and pastries." The email stressed that Samidoun did not reveal the destination of the proceeds.
It also listed other examples, including that T-shirts on sale at the event Samidoun network glorified “armed resistance” and the intifada, and the fact that Samidoun’s leader (affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, designated a terrorist group by the EU), Mohammed Khatib, “supports all forms of Palestinian resistance,” including the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The writer of the letter then added, "Intifada, armed resistance, calls for the destruction of a legitimate state, fundraising with an undisclosed destination, links with pro-terrorism Islamist networks... Are these the values of Saint-Gilles?"
The email then urged Spinette and the locality to consider the "threat to public order that such a “festival” poses for the residents of Saint-Gilles and Brussels more broadly."
Jewish group seeks dissolution of French Samidoun
Separately, the Jewish Observatory of France (OJF) announced shortly after the Brussels incident that it is seeking the legal dissolution of Samidoun France, pursuant to Article L212-1 of the Internal Security Code.
The OJF said it was also referring the matter to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office due to publicly condoning acts of terrorism and inciting hatred.
René Levy, the president of OJF, told the Post on Thursday that a reply to the legal request can be expected in 30-90 days.
The action is being taken against the French branch, which claims it has no connection to Samidoun International, but which OJF claims still poses a threat to the country's security.
Samidoun International is banned in France, but Samidoun France is not.
Levy told the Post that although France has an extensive history of antisemitism and antisemitic incidents, especially in recent years, the country takes it "more seriously," resulting in what is a more significant crackdown on antisemitism and perpetrators of hate than say in Belgium and the UK.
He explained that this is partly as a result of France's extensive knowledge of Arab and Islamic culture as a result of its connection with North Africa, meaning it is more aware of Arab antisemitism and Arab anti-Westernism than some of its European counterparts.
Additionally, Levy told the Post that France has very specific procedures when it comes to prosecuting and managing incidents where the content could be considered freedom of expression.
Despite its security problems, free speech in France has a lot more regulations; for example, there are stricter laws against Shoah denial, historical revisionism has stricter laws, and others. There is even a caveat in French law about anti-Zionism that enables it to be included as antisemitism in certain cases."
"France must never become a refuge for those who celebrate terrorism," he concluded.