Thread by @IRC_NIC

A massive scandal has been unfolding in the Belgian military. Bizarre ritual hazing, rape accusations, neo-nazi officers, weapons and drugs sold to the Albanese and the Chechen mafia, ... 🔽

It all started March 14th, when Defense Minister of Belgium Ludivine Dedonder announced a "surprise" press conference, dealing with grave matters. "A platoon (~30 people) of the 4th engineering battalion was disbanded in order to send a strong signal”

It seemed that this particular unit had been instating a rule of terror at the military base they were stationed at, the Adjudant Brasseur Camp in Amay. The Minister first received a private email from the dad of one of the impacted soldiers in November of 2023.

"It is a serious and unique decision in the recent history of Belgian Defense, but a red line has been crossed by some", said Michel Hofman, Belgium's Chief of Defence, of the disbanding. What exactly happened here? Is it just hazing gone wrong? Beware, graphic content

According to the victims and their families, it's much worse than that. One dad claims his son was raped. He was striped naked and then a superior officer inserted a broom handle in his ass. Most of the newcomers were crying, and then the superiors took turns pissing on him.

Women aren't exempt : some were dragged outside of their barracks at night to be watered with a high pressure hose. Their underwear were searched and then exposed in the yard. Another time, a superior officer took a shit in the women's showers and had them clean it. It gets worse

The same young man who was violated with the broom handle was also made to lick up the feces in the shower. Pure torture, said the family. Pictures and videos of these "games" were found at some of the officers home, on their phone, which lead to disbanding of the platoon.

If that wasn't enough, there's also talks about racism inside the base, ammo being wasted during these hazing "games", being forced to drink out of an human skull, and the drugs and the weapons trafficking. There is an ongoing investigation regarding the same platoon.

Some of the soldiers and officers would have sold and/or exchanged weed and cocaine to various mafia elements, mostly Albanese and Chechen. As well as weapon parts. Not much more info on that, news just came out today.

After word has gotten out about the horrendous events at Amay, some anonymous soldiers took to the media to describe their own experiences, across different military bases in Belgium : "People urinated in my sleeping bag and in my tent, so I had to sleep on the floor. I was hit."

"Both of my hands were tied to an iron bar for three days. Others came to help me go to the toilet. My equipment was stolen from me when I wasn't in my room, someone broke my wardrobe to get to it. I had to pay for it again. And all those days when we were forbidden to sleep."

There's a constant pressure to drink alcohol to be included, as well as paying for your superior's drinks. "Soldiers being neo-nazis, this is reality. We musn't deceive ourselves. Let's stop turning a blind eye." said an anonymous veteran.

This culture inside the Belgian military seems to have been around for a few years, probably decades - or even since it's inception. What's new is that there are leaks of these stories to the media and some of these officers are finally facing repercussions.

This is still an ongoing investigation and more elements may come to light but this is what we know so far basically. Some of the sources used :

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lalibre.be/belgique/socie…
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