Fact Check
Belgian councillor did not call for Belgians to leave Belgium or Europe
A 25-second video clip of Saliha Raiss speaking at a council meeting in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean on August 27 was shared on Instagram with the claim she’d called for a “Europe without Europeans”.
Elon Musk shared, opens new tab an identical post on X with the caption: “Belgians must leave Belgium!? This is insane.” It received more than 42 million views.
However, the video clip shows Raiss suggesting people who are annoyed by veiled women in Molenbeek, which is home to a large Muslim population, to leave and live in another of Brussels’ 19 districts, opens new tab. It does not show her calling for Belgians to leave Belgium or Europeans to leave Europe.
Raiss, wearing a turban, opens new tab, spoke in French but her comments translated into English read: “And if these people who wear curtain fabrics [referring to Islamic headscarves] – I can give the references if you want because apparently it arouses a lot of interest – if we disturb that much, if they don’t even want to see us anymore, I mean the region has 19 municipalities, if in Molenbeek apparently it’s very unlivable, change sides, go somewhere else! Get out!”