Hundreds of Afghan immigrants rally in Brussels

Hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers have staged rallies across the Belgian capital of Brussels to protest officials’ decision to reject their applications for residency, Press TV reports.

The protesters on Friday gathered in the streets of Brussels to voice their anger in opposition to the immigration policies adopted by the European country. The gathering forced the Police to block some of the main roads in the city center.

“We don’t need free food from Belgian people. We want to pay tax. We want to work. We want to have jobs. We want to have normal life like the other people,” said an Afghan woman who was chanting in the street.

“We are sitting for more than two months, but not even one single person is listening to us. Only they are saying wait wait and wait,” said one asylum seeker, adding, “How much we have to wait? Please give us a reply.”

According to Belgian authorities, the Afghan applicants do not meet the requirements for permanent residency because there is no imminent threat to their lives in Afghanistan.

However, Afghan demonstrators claim that the Taliban could kill them if they return home. The Belgian authorities have dismissed the claim.

At Least 500 Afghans, including dozens of families and 100 children, have applied to receive permanent residency in Belgium.

Many people from the war-stricken country consider Belgium as one of their secure destinations. However, not all have been successful to receive asylum. This has made Afghans stage a series of protests that once ended in a number of arrests.

For Afghan refugees, living in Belgium is not a matter of choice but deciding between life and death.