The far-right Identitarian movement – "Generation Identitaire" originating in France in 2002 – called for its supporters to gather at the majority Muslim municipality on Saturday, April 2 under the banner of "Expel the Islamists."
"The objective of municipal authorities and the police is to prevent these individuals from coming to Molenbeek," Schepmans said in Molenbeek’s Facebook message published Tuesday.
She said a series of safety measures would be adopted starting Wednesday after meeting local law enforcement, and called on the population to "avoid the trap of provocation."
Molenbeek currently hosts 76 radically inclined Muslims, the mayor estimated in an interview with Belgium’s Le Soir daily on Wednesday.
The recently detained November 13, deadly Paris terrorist attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam hails from Molenbeek, described by Belgian press as the "crossroads of European jihadism."
Last week, a series of deadly terrorist attacks shook Brussels, leaving 35 people killed and over 300 injured in the airport attacks and an explosion at the Maelbeek metro station near the EU institutions.
On Sunday, March 27, around 450 Flemish football hooligans and young nationalists held a rally in central Brussels protesting Belgium’s failed migration policies leading to the March 22 terrorist attacks. Police detained around 10 protesters after clashes broke out.
