Belgium to dismantle an army platoon over harassment, assault, blackmail

The Belgian military will dismantle a platoon of about thirty soldiers due to severe incidents of violence and harassment, the minister of defence announced Thursday.

As per Ludivine Dedonder, while suspects were either fired or moved to different units, a number of people had already been placed under protection. The nation’s military, according to her, has no place for “sexism, racism, or extremism.”

During a press conference with Defense Chief Adm. Michel Hofman, Dedonder stated that she received an email in November alerting her to the violence occurring within the Fourth Engineer Battalion. She claimed that a family member of a soldier who had been a victim had informed her.

Dedonder said investigations were immediately launched, focusing on “serious acts” of violence.

“Among other things, we are talking about degrading treatment, assault and battery, blackmail, threats between soldiers, pressure exerted by soldiers on their peers, and an obligation of silence about these facts,” the minister said.

Dedonder said the violence took place during hazing and training sessions, lasted for several months and involved officers, non-commissioned officers and less experienced soldiers.

“These behaviors are unacceptable,” which is why Belgium was taking strong measures, including the disbanding of a platoon within the 4th Battalion in the eastern city of Amay, Dedonder said. She said the army will adopt a zero-tolerance policy.

The battalion in Amay was formed in 1913 and took part in World War I the following year. It has a great reputation within the Belgian army.

“It’s not the whole workforce that’s affected,” Dedonder said. “We are talking about a few dozen people at the moment.”

Hofman and Dedonder said they could not give more details about the identity of people involved, or the exact nature of the violence, because investigations were ongoing.

“We’re talking about degrading behavior, humiliation, as part of hazing or integration rituals,” Dedonder said.

With inputs from The Associated Press