The federal government has approved a bill that will allow the state to revoke Belgian citizenship from people found guilty of serious crimes such as homicide and sexual assault.
Archived version: https://archive.is/20260201161801/https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2026/01/30/committing-serious-crimes-can-now-lead-to-loss-of-belgian-nation/
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Uh huh.
And then it will be applied to any felony.
If this was the US, this for sure would be applied in a racist way. I don’t have much faith that a European country won’t use it that way too.
Anyone who has acquired Belgian nationality in the last 15 years and is found guilty of a serious crime – including homicide, sexual assault and organized crime – can be stripped of their nationality.
I can see it being revoked if acquired under false pretenses… not sure about crimes committed after citizenship. Sounds to me like they aren’t really citizens for the first 15 years. Which is fine, as long as they’re clear about probationary citizenship differing from full citizenship, and it’s not retroactive.
By itself, at face value, it’s a solid proposal. There are enough local rapists and murderers as it is, right? Will it be misused? Will things like anti-Zionism/anti-imperialist takes be added later on to the list of “serious crimes”? Hopefully not.
Anyone who has acquired Belgian nationality in the last 15 years and is found guilty of a serious crime
Exiled to the ocean
