(European Jewish Press) The Belgian federal government has announced that the pro-Palestinian organization Samidoun will be added to the OCAD database — Belgium’s official registry for tracking terrorism, extremism, and radicalization, a move which is seen as a first step towards a ban.
For the first time, not only individuals but also organizations will be formally monitored through this system. The decision [came] at the request of [the] Belgian ministers of interior and justice, respectively Bernard Quintin and Annelies Verlinden.
According to the head of OCAD, Samidoun is not legally classified as a terrorist organization, but it spreads polarizing and extremist narratives that require close monitoring. Internationally, both the Netherlands and Germany have already banned Samidoun due to its ties to recognized terrorist groups.
