Editing Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (section)

==History==

===Rural beginnings===
As early as the 9th century, Molenbeek was the site of [[Church of St. John the Baptist, Molenbeek|a church]] dedicated to [[John the Baptist|Saint John the Baptist]]. The parish boundaries of St. John's Church were much greater than today, reaching as far as the river [[Senne (river)|Senne]],{{sfn|Verbesselt|1965|p=159–199}}{{sfn|Onclincx|1977|p=34}} and from the end of the 12th century, included a chapel dedicated to [[Catherine of Alexandria|Saint Catherine]].{{sfn|Lefèvre|1942|p=206–208}} This chapel was split off from the rest of the parish following the construction of [[Fortifications of Brussels#Second walls|Brussels' second city walls]] and gradually became the current [[Church of St. Catherine, Brussels|Church of St. Catherine]] in the {{lang|fr|Sainte-Catherine|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Sint Katelijne|italic=no}} neighbourhood of Brussels.{{sfn|Laurent|1963|p=161–235}}{{sfn|Onclincx|1977|p=34}} The first documented mention of Molenbeek was made on 9 April 1174 in a [[papal bull]] by [[Pope Alexander III]] listing the property of the [[chapter (religion)|chapter]] of the [[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula|Collegiate Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula]] (now Brussels' cathedral), which included St. John's Church, as well as other property.{{sfn|Onclincx|1977|p=34–35}}{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=10}}{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=3}} The [[Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage|Brussels Beguinage]], founded before 1247 outside the city walls,{{sfn|Mardaga|1989|p=104}} also depended on Molenbeek.

[[File:Saint John’s Dancers in Molenbeeck’ (1592) by Pieter Brueghel II.jpg|left|thumb|''Saint John's Dancers in Molenbeeck''', [[Pieter Brueghel the Younger]], 1592]]

In the early [[Middle Ages]], Molenbeek was known for its miraculous spring of [[Gertrude of Nivelles|Saint Gertrude of Nivelles]], the mythical founder of [[Nivelles Abbey]], which attracted thousands of pilgrims.{{sfn|Onclincx|1977|p=34–35}} According to legend, she visited Molenbeek and offered the land on which the village's first church was built,{{sfn|Onclincx|1977|p=34}} and allegedly caused this sacred spring to spur out by ramming her abbess's [[crosier]] into the ground near the church.<ref name=":2" /> Later, the tradition of a special pilgrimage for patients with [[epilepsy]] developed around St. John's Church. On St. John's Day (24 June), a dancing procession took place, in which epileptics could be freed from their illness for a year if they crossed a bridge over the Molenbeek brook towards the church without their feet touching the ground. A painting by [[Pieter Brueghel the Younger]], dating from 1592, illustrates this procession.{{sfn|Onclincx|1977|p=35}}{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=13}}<ref name=":2" />

Molenbeek was made part of [[Brussels]] in the 13th century. As a result, the agricultural village lost a lot of its land to its more powerful neighbour.{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=16}} In addition, St. John's Church was dismantled in 1578 during the [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] Republic of Brussels, which lasted from 1577 to 1585, leading to further decline, though it was later rebuilt on the same spot. The town's aspect remained mostly rural until the 18th century.{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=18–21}}{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=3–4}}

===Industrialisation===
[[File:Lithographie-Walter-1855-Bruxelles.jpg|right|thumb|View into Brussels along the [[Brussels–Charleroi Canal]] from Molenbeek, {{circa|1855}}]]

At the end of the 18th century, the [[Industrial Revolution]] brought prosperity back to Molenbeek through commerce and manufacturing.{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=18–21}} In 1795, under the [[French First Republic|French regime]], the town regained its status as an independent municipality.{{sfn|Onclincx|1977|p=34}}{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=16}}{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=8}} Around that time, Molenbeek experienced its first wave of [[urbanization|urbanisation]] with the development of a neighbourhood, known as the ''Faubourg Saint-Martin'', around a number of streets to the immediate west of the [[City of Brussels]], as well as another, the ''Faubourg de Flandre'', a little more to the north.{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=18–21}}{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=10}}

During the first quarter of the 19th century, several hundred workers were employed in Molenbeek's chemical and textile industries.{{sfn|Charruadas|2005}} In total, there were fifty companies in Molenbeek in 1829. The opening of the [[Brussels–Charleroi Canal]] in 1832 greatly increased the traffic of [[coal]] and thus the [[mechanization|mechanisation]] of industry, which led to the development of [[foundry|foundries]], engineering and [[metalworking]] companies in the municipality.{{sfn|Charruadas|2005}}{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=18–21}}{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=8–9, 14–26}} Attracted by the industrial opportunities, many workers moved in, first from the other [[Provinces of Belgium|Belgian provinces]] (mainly rural residents from [[Flanders]]){{sfn|Buron|2016|p=80–82}} and France, then from [[Southern Europe]]an, and more recently from [[Eastern Europe]]an and [[Africa]]n countries.{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=24–25}}

[[File:Eugène Laermans De voddenrapers (1914) 12-02-2010 15-07-38.jpg|left|thumb|{{lang|nl|De voddenrapers}} (''The Trash Pickers''), [[Eugène Laermans]] (1914), with Molenbeek as setting]]

The growth of the community continued unabated throughout the 19th century, leading to cramped living conditions, especially near the canal.{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=18–21}}{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=24–26}} In that period, Molenbeek was dubbed the ''Little [[Manchester]]'' ({{langx|fr|le petit Manchester|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|het Klein Manchester|link=no}}) or the ''Belgian Manchester'' ({{langx|fr|le Manchester belge|link=no}}, {{langx|nl|het Belgisch Manchester|link=no}}), in reference to the [[Northern England|Northern English]] city that led the history of [[industrialization|industrialisation]].{{sfn|Steffens|2007}}<ref name=":2" /> On 5 May 1835, Molenbeek was the departure site of the [[History of rail transport in Belgium|first passenger train]] in [[continental Europe]].{{sfn|Wolmar|2010|p=18–20}}{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=14}}<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.molenbeek.irisnet.be/fr/je-visite/histoire/Histoire%20en%20quelques%20mots|title=Histoire en quelques mots – Français|website=molenbeek.irisnet.be|access-date=2017-01-12}}</ref> At the end of the 19th century, part of the industry, namely the port area, was lost by Molenbeek when Brussels annexed and reintegrated the canal area within [[Port of Brussels|its new port]].{{sfn|Marchand|2018|p=16, 18}}

===20th century===
Until the early 20th century, Molenbeek was a booming [[suburb]] which attracted a large [[Working class|working-class]] population. Remarkable new urban developments and [[Garden city movement|garden cities]] such as the Cité Diongre were built at the beginning of the century to house the influx of newcomers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cité Diongre – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural |url=https://monument.heritage.brussels/fr/buildings/38245 |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=monument.heritage.brussels |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Étude de cas. Le quartier rural de Molenbeek-Saint-Jean 1869-1930 |url=https://www.lafonderie.be/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/II._Le_quartier_rural_1869-1930.pdf |access-date=4 June 2023}}</ref> The [[Church of St. John the Baptist, Molenbeek|Church of St. John the Baptist]] was also rebuilt between 1930 and 1932 in [[Art Deco in Brussels|Art Deco]] style to accommodate this growing populace.{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=38–39}}<ref name=":5" /> The [[deindustrialization|industrial decline]], however, which had already started before [[World War I]], accelerated after the [[Great Depression]] and [[World War II]].<ref name=":4" />

Following the industrial decline after the war, the old districts bordering the [[City of Brussels]] began to decrease in population. Much of the original Belgian working-class population, when its financial means allowed it, left the lower Molenbeek for Brussels' newly developing suburbs. In this lower part of the town, new immigrant populations moved in, leading to the present-day urban fabric. The [[Population decline|depopulation]] was not addressed until the 1960s through the construction of new residential areas in the then-rural west of the municipality. In the 1990s, this expansion was halted, leaving some woods and meadows in Molenbeek, such as the semi-natural site of the Scheutbos.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|url=http://www.scheutbos.be/|title=Scheutbos: grand espace vert bruxellois|website=scheutbos.be|access-date=2019-09-01}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

[[File:Tour L'Ecluse 1080BXL.jpg|right|thumb|L'Écluse Tower on the {{lang|fr|Boulevard Louis Mettewie|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Louis Mettewielaan|italic=no}}]]

Where Molenbeek was once a centre of intense industrial activity, concentrated around the canal and the railway, most of those industries have disappeared to make way for large-scale [[urban renewal]] following the modernist [[Athens Charter]], such as the L'Écluse Tower along the {{lang|fr|Boulevard Louis Mettewie|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Louis Mettewielaan|italic=no}} in the upper town and the Brunfaut Tower near the canal. In addition, clearance work for the extension of the [[Brussels metro|metro]] in the 1970s and 1980s led to further destruction. In spite of this, Molenbeek has maintained its character to this day. This industrial past is still remembered in [[La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour|Brussels' Museum of Industry and Labour]], a museum of social and industrial history built on the site of the former [[foundry]] of the ''Compagnie des Bronzes de Bruxelles''.{{sfn|Demanet|De Zuttere|2023|p=18–19}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-09-14 |title=La Fonderie - Brussels Museum of Industry and Work |url=https://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/museums/la-fonderie-brussels-museum-of-industry-and-work |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=Brussels Museums |language=en}}</ref>

===21st century===
In some areas of Molenbeek, the ensuing poverty left its mark on the urban landscape and scarred the social life of the community, leading to rising crime rates and pervading cultural intolerance. Various local revitalisation programmes are currently under way, aiming at relieving the municipality's most impoverished districts.<ref name=":11" /> Currently, the local economy is renewing itself, but it is "dominated" by the administrative sector. Alongside large companies such as [[KBC Bank]] and the distribution company [[Delhaize Group|Delhaize]], there are administrations such as that of the Ministry of the [[French Community of Belgium|French Community]] and numerous businesses.<ref name=":2" />

[[File:Projet Bonne - Mariemont.jpg|thumb|left|Project Bonne–Mariemont on the {{lang|fr|Quai de Mariemont|italic=no}}/{{lang|nl|Mariemontkaai|italic=no}}]]

Attempts at revitalising the municipality have, however, not always been successful. In June 2011, the multinational company [[BBDO]], citing over 150 attacks on their staff by locals, posted an open letter to then-mayor [[Philippe Moureaux]], announcing its withdrawal from the municipality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lacapitale.be/regions/bruxelles/2011-06-17/insecurite-a-molenbeek-la-lettre-de-bbdo-a-moureaux-881494.shtml|title=Insécurité à Molenbeek|date=17 June 2011|language=fr|trans-title=Insecurity in Molenbeek|work=La Capitale|access-date=18 November 2015}}</ref> As a result, serious questions were raised about governance, security and the administration of Moureaux.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20110617_133|title=BBDO zwaar ontgoocheld in Moureaux|date=17 June 2011|language=nl|trans-title=BBDO greatly disappointed by Moureaux|work=De Standaard|access-date=18 November 2015}}</ref> Following a general decrease in crime, the company finally decided to remain in Molenbeek.<ref>{{cite web|title=Reclamebureau BBDO: 'Geen incidenten meer'|url=https://www.bruzz.be/samenleving/reclamebureau-bbdo-geen-incidenten-meer-2011-12-14|access-date=2021-09-27|website=bruzz.be|language=nl}}</ref>

====Terrorism====
According to ''[[Le Monde]]'', the assassins who [[Ahmad Shah Massoud#Assassination|killed anti-Taliban commander Ahmed Shah Massoud]] both came from Molenbeek.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stroobants |first1=Jean Pierre |title=Molenbeek, la plaque tournante belge du terrorisme islamiste |url=http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2015/11/16/molenbeek-la-plaque-tournante-belge-du-terrorisme-islamiste_4810617_3214.html |access-date=12 April 2016|work=Le Monde|date=16 November 2015 |language=fr |quote={{lang|fr|c’est de Molenbeek que sont partis les tueurs du commandant afghan Ahmed Shah Massoud, principal adversaire du régime des talibans, assassiné par deux faux journalistes.}} }}</ref> Hassan el-Haski, one of the [[2004 Madrid train bombings|2004 Madrid terror bombers]], came from Molenbeek.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bartunek |first1=Robert-Jan |last2=Lewis |first2=Barbara |title=Belgian connection: three held in Brussels over Paris attacks |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-shooting-belgium-probe-idUSKCN0T31AK20151115 |access-date=11 April 2016 |work=Reuters|date=15 November 2015 |quote=A prominent, Moroccan-born member of the group behind the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 was from Molenbeek. }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Why did the bombers target Belgium?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/22/why-was-belgium-targeted-by-bombers |access-date=11 April 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=22 March 2016 |quote=Hassan el-Haski – Madrid and Casablanca bombings – A Spanish judge sentenced Haski to 14 years in jail for belonging to a terrorist organisation, in connection with the March 2004 attacks on Madrid. }}</ref> The perpetrator of the [[Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting]], Mehdi Nemmouche, lived in Molenbeek for a time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Newton-Small |first1=Jay |title=The Belgian Suburb at the Heart of the Paris Attacks Probe |url=https://time.com/4114305/paris-attacks-molenbeek/|access-date=11 April 2016 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=16 November 2015 |quote=May 2014, three people were killed and one injured in a shooting at the Jewish Museum of Belgium by alleged terrorist Mehdi Nemmouche, who is awaiting trial and spent time in Molenbeek }}</ref> Ayoub El Khazzani, the perpetrator of the [[2015 Thalys train attack]], stayed with his sister in Molenbeek.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/News/1.2423671 |title=&thinsp;'Suspect lived in Brussels before attempted Thalys attack'&thinsp; |first=Michaël |last=Torfs |work=[[De Redactie]] |date=25 August 2015 }}</ref> French police believe the weapons used in the [[Porte de Vincennes siege]] two days after the [[Charlie Hebdo shooting|''Charlie Hebdo'' shooting]] were sourced from Molenbeek.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Barbara |last2=Bartunek |first2=Robert-Jan |title=Belgian connection: three held in Brussels over Paris attacks |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-shooting-belgium-probe-idUSKCN0T31AK20151115 |work=Reuters|access-date=11 April 2016 |date=15 November 2015 |quote=Molenbeek. The area has been connected with two attacks in France this year. Security officials have said the Islamist who killed people at a Paris kosher grocery in January at the time of the attack on the magazine Charlie Hebdo acquired weapons in the district.}}</ref> The bombers of the [[November 2015 Paris attacks]] were also traced to Molenbeek;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lynch |first1=Julia |title=Here's why so many of Europe's terrorist attacks come through this one Brussels neighborhood |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/04/05/heres-why-so-many-of-europes-terror-attacks-come-through-this-one-brussels-neighborhood/ |access-date=11 April 2016 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=5 April 2016 |quote=Molenbeek had been linked to radical Islamist terrorism. One of 19 'communes' in the Brussels metro area, the neighborhood was home to one of the attackers in the 2004 commuter train bombings in Madrid and to the Frenchman who shot four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in August 2014. The Moroccan shooter on the Brussels-Paris Thalys train in August 2015 stayed with his sister there. French police suspect that the weapons used in the Paris supermarket attack connected with the Charlie Hebdo attack in January 2015 were acquired in Molenbeek, and the attackers in the November 2015 Paris bombings were traced to Brussels by way of a parking ticket issued on a rental car in Molenbeek. }}</ref> during the Molenbeek capture of [[Salah Abdeslam]], an accomplice of the Paris bombers, protesters "threw stones and bottles at police and press during the arrest", stated the then-[[Minister of the Interior (Belgium)|Interior Minister of Belgium]], [[Jan Jambon]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Belgian minister says many Muslims 'danced' after attacks |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/belgian-minister-says-many-muslims-danced-attacks-181946174.html |access-date=26 May 2018 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=16 April 2016 |quote=They threw stones and bottles at police and press during the arrest of Salah Abdeslam. That is the real problem. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527023926/https://www.yahoo.com/news/belgian-minister-says-many-muslims-danced-attacks-181946174.html |archive-date=27 May 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Oussama Zariouh, the [[June 2017 Brussels attack|bomber of Brussels Central Station in June 2017]],<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40352351 | title=Brussels station suspect had 'nail bomb'| publisher=BBC News| date=2017-06-21}}</ref> lived in Molenbeek.<ref>{{cite news|title=L'auteur de l'attentat manqué de Bruxelles avait des "sympathies" pour l'État islamique|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2017/06/21/01003-20170621ARTFIG00181-l-auteur-de-l-attentat-manque-de-bruxelles-est-un-marocain-de-36-ans.php|access-date=21 June 2017|work=Le Figaro|language=fr|quote=L'homme abattu par les soldats à la gare centrale de Bruxelles était un Marocain de 36 ans. Il vivait à Molenbeek}}</ref>

=====November 2015 Paris attacks=====
{{Main|November 2015 Paris attacks}}

At least four of the terrorists in the [[November 2015 Paris attacks]]—the brothers [[Brahim Abdeslam|Brahim]] and [[Salah Abdeslam]], alleged accomplice [[Mohamed Abrini]], and the alleged mastermind [[Abdelhamid Abaaoud]]—grew up and lived in Molenbeek. According to former French President [[François Hollande]], that was also where they organised the attacks.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/paris-attacks-mastermind-abaaoud-1.3320483 |title=Paris attacks: Belgian Abdelhamid Abaaoud identified as presumed mastermind |publisher=[[CBC News]] |date=16 November 2015|access-date=16 November 2015}}</ref> On 18 March 2016, Salah Abdeslam, a suspected accomplice in those attacks, was captured in [[2016 Brussels police raids|two anti-terrorist raids in Molenbeek]] that killed another suspect and injured two others. At least one other suspect remains at large.<ref>{{cite news|date=15 March 2016|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/15/europe/brussels-paris-attacks-shots-fired/index.html|title=Shots in Brussels raid tied to Paris attacks|publisher=CNN|access-date=15 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=15 March 2016|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35809974|title=Gunfire in Brussels raid on 'Paris attacks suspects'|publisher=BBC News|access-date=15 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="BBC1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35860157|title=Paris attacks: Salah Abdeslam 'worth his weight in gold'|publisher=BBC News|date=21 March 2016|access-date=21 March 2016}}</ref> Ibrahim (born 9 October 1986 in Brussels) was involved in the attempted robbery of a [[bureau de change|currency exchange]] office in January 2010, where he shot at police with a [[Kalashnikov rifle]]. The then-mayor of Brussels, [[Freddy Thielemans]], and the then-mayor of Molenbeek, [[Philippe Moureaux]], described the shooting as a "''{{lang|fr|fait divers}}''" (a small daily news item) and "normal in a large city", causing controversy.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Binnenland/article/detail/1061949/2010/02/02/Schietpartij-in-Anderlecht-was-fait-divers.dhtml |title=Schietpartij in Anderlecht was fait divers |date=2 February 2010 |access-date=23 March 2016 |newspaper=Het Laatste Nieuws}}</ref>

=====Police investigation=====
Since several of the attackers in the [[2016 Brussels bombings|Brussels]] and [[November 2015 Paris attacks|Paris]] terrorist attacks had connections to the area, Belgian police started door-to-door checks in which a quarter of Molenbeek's inhabitants were investigated, a total of 22,668. This operation resulted in that of the 1,600 organisations investigated, 102 were found to be involved with crime and a further 52 were involved with terrorism. 72 individuals were found to have a terrorist connection and were subject to future surveillance.<ref name="politico30mar2017">{{cite news|title=Belgium's Molenbeek home to 51 groups with terror links: report|url=http://www.politico.eu/article/belgiums-molenbeek-home-to-51-groups-with-terror-links-report/|access-date=28 March 2017|publisher=Politico|date=20 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="demorgen30mar2017">{{cite news|title=51 Molenbeekse vzw's verdacht van terreurbanden|url=http://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/51-molenbeekse-vzw-s-verdacht-van-terreurbanden-bab91786/|access-date=28 March 2017|publisher=De Morgen|date=20 March 2017}}</ref>