Wikipedia

Jinnih Beels

Jinnih Beels (born 8 October 1976) is a Belgian politician and member of the Chamber of Representatives.[1] A member of Vooruit, she has represented Antwerp since June 2024.

Jinnih Beels
Member of the Chamber of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 June 2024
ConstituencyAntwerp
Personal details
Born (1976-10-08) 8 October 1976 (age 47)
Calcutta, India
Political partyVooruit
Alma materKU Leuven

Early life

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Beels was born on 8 October 1976 in Calcutta, India.[1][2] Her mother was Indian and her father was Flemish.[2] Her mother Amna Khatoon, a Muslim, named Beels after Muhammad Ali Jinnah.[3] Her father worked for a shipping company in Calcutta.[2][3]

When Beels was three her mother died after being poisoned by someone who was jealous due to her being married to a Westerner and about to move to Belgium.[2][3] The culprit was known but never prosecuted.[2] Beels was placed in a boarding school by her father who, after encountering difficulties as she had no birth certificate, eventually brought her to Antwerp three years later in June 1983.[2][3]

Beels was brought up by her father and paternal grandmother in Antwerp and was educated at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwinstituut Pulhof in Berchem.[2][4] She studied criminology at KU Leuven from 1996 to 2000.[2] She also studied diversity management at KU Leuven (2010–2011) and intercultural management at Lessius Hogeschool (2011–2012).[2]

Police career

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Beels trained to be a commissaris (police commissioner) at the National School for Officers in Etterbeek from 2000 to 2002.[2] After qualifying, she joined the Federal Police in Brussels in 2002 as a commissioner.[2] Between 2003 and 2016 she held various positions at the Local police [nl] in Antwerp: team manager Hoboken (2003–2006), media spokesperson (2006–2008), head of the diversity department (2008–2015) and deputy regional manager of the northern division (20015-2016).[2] The diversity department was sidelined after the right wing New Flemish Alliance took control of Antwerp in 2012.[2][5] After falling out with police chief Serge Muyters, Beels was transferred to the local police in Mechelen-Willebroek where she was Gemeenschapsgerichte politiezorg (GGPZ) and diversity officer from 2016 to 2017.[2][6]

In February 2017 an investigation was launched after a racist message, containing a photograph of Beels with the caption En waarom zou ik je een hand geven? Jou kleur staat me niet aan ("And why should I shake your hand? I don't like your colour"), was shared on WhatsApp by Mechelen police officers, an episode that mayor Bart Somers blamed on a few bad apples.[7][8] Earlier almost all Moroccan and Turkish origin officers had resigned from the Mechelen police due to racism and bullying.[7] Bert V.L., a 37-year-old chief inspector, was prosecuted for sending the racist message about Beels but was acquitted in May 2018.[9][10][11] Prosecutors appealed the verdict but in June 2019 the Court of Appeal in Antwerp upheld the acquittal.[12]

Politics

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In October 2017 Beels was chosen as an independent candidate for Samen, an electoral alliance formed by the Socialist Party Different (SP.A) and Groen to contest the 2018 local election in Antwerp.[13][14] After the alliance broke up Beels aligned with SP.A in January 2018.[15][16] In June 2018 she started working for the SP.A parliamentary group as a safety advisor.[17] She was elected to the municipal council at the local election.[18][19] Shortly after the election she joined SP.A.[20][21] She became schepen (alderman) for education, youth, civic integration and naturalisation in January 2019.[22][23] In March 2024, after falling out with the local Vooruit branch over its support for Tom Meeuws after he made racist comments, Beels announced that she wouldn't be contesting the 2024 local election and would be moving back to Westerlo where her family live.[24][25]

Beels contested the 2019 regional election as the SP.A's 33rd placed candidate in Antwerp but was not elected.[26][27] She was elected to the Chamber of Representatives at the 2024 federal election.[28][29]

Personal life

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Beels is married to a police commissioner and has a son and two step-daughters.[2]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Anja Vanrobaeys
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
2018 local[18] Antwerp Socialist Party Different 12,815 Elected
2019 regional[26] Antwerp Socialist Party Different 7,843 Not elected
2024 federal[28] Antwerp Vooruit 26,666 Elected

References

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  1. ^ a b "De Kamerleden: Jinnih Beels" (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium: Chamber of Representatives. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o De Munnynck, Barbara (19 February 2018). "Criminologe Jinnih Beels is klaar voor haar politiek avontuur" (in Dutch). Leuven, Belgium: KU Leuven. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Van Puymbroeck, Rik (25 December 2017). "Jinnih Beels: "Naïviteit is niet achterlijk"". De Morgen (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  4. ^ Bernaerts, Nina (23 June 2018). ""Rechtvaardigheid is de rode draad in mijn leven"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  5. ^ Tom, Pardoen. "Het jaar van Jinnih Beels: 'De politiek heeft nood aan woelwaters als ik'". Humo (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  6. ^ Toeloose, An (13 October 2017). "Jinnih Beels, het wit konijn van "Samen"". VRT (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b Ceulemans, Ewoud (24 February 2017). "Mechels politiecommissaris Jinnih Beels slachtoffer van racisme: "Totaal onaanvaardbaar"". De Morgen (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Jinnih Beels: 'Erg voor familie en collega's'". De Standaard (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium. 25 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Jinnih Beels was "intens ongelukkig" na overstap van politie Antwerpen naar Mechelen: "Anderhalf jaar lang met lood in de schoenen gaan werken"". Humo (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024 – via Gazet van Antwerpen.
  10. ^ Indeherberge, Liesbeth (14 May 2018). "Mechelse hoofdinspecteur vrijgesproken voor vermeende racistische uitlatingen tegen Jinnih Beels". VRT (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Malines: le policier qui a diffusé un montage raciste de Jinnih Beels est acquitté". RTBF (in French). Brussels, Belgium. Belga. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Ex-politieman die spotprent Jinnih Beels verspreidde vrijgesproken in beroep: 'Misplaatste grap'". De Standaard (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium. 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  13. ^ Vanmarsenille, Kris (14 October 2017). "Wouter Van Besien (Groen), Tom Meeuws (sp.a) en onafhankelijke Jinnih Beels: "We hebben geen plan B"". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  14. ^ Cobbaert, Paul (24 February 2019). "Antwerps schepen Jinnih Beels (SP.A) is scherp voor voormalige kartelpartner Groen: "Uiteengaan was verstandig"". De Zondag (in Dutch). Roeselare, Belgium. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Jinnih Beels kiest voor sp.a Antwerpen: "Een hartverscheurende keuze"". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. 18 January 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Elections communales 2018: à Anvers, la numéro 2 de l'ex-liste "Samen" figurera comme indépendante sur celle du sp.a". RTBF (in French). Brussels, Belgium. Belga. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  17. ^ Gyssels, Arnout (6 June 2018). "Geen partijkaart, wel op loonlijst sp.a: Jinnih Beels aan de slag als adviseur Veiligheid bij Kamerfractie". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Lokale verkiezingen 2018: Antwerpen (stad) - Verkozen kandidaten". Vlaanderen kiest (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium: Flemish Government. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  19. ^ "De Wever is het grootste stemmenkanon, maar zijn coalitiepartners falen". De Standaard (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium. 14 October 2018. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Jinnih Beels heeft nu toch partijkaart van sp.a". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. 28 October 2018. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  21. ^ Touriel, Aubry (18 January 2019). "Être indépendant et tirer une liste de parti, un phénomène typiquement flamand". RTBF (in French). Brussels, Belgium. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Antwerps schepen Jinnih Beels (SP.A): "Van mij mag het stoppen met dat klimaatspijbelen"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium. 24 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  23. ^ Nuyts, Joppe (9 June 2019). "Jinnih Beels analyseert verlies van SP.A: "Te veel naar de portemonnee gesproken, te weinig naar het hart"". VRT (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  24. ^ El Mabrouk, Farid (29 March 2024). ""Iek zèn raaazend oep Jinnih": in Antwerpen halen velen opgelucht adem, maar ontslag Beels is ferme domper voor Vooruit". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Jinnih Beels wil terug bij haar gezin "in de mooie Kempen" gaan wonen en komt niet op bij gemeenteraadsverkiezingen". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium. 31 March 2024. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Resultaat Vlaams Parlement 26 mei 2019 - Kieskring Antwerpen". Verkiezingsuitslagen (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium: Federal Public Service Interior. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  27. ^ "Wouter Van Besien, Jinnih Beels en Dirk Van Mechelen niet verkozen". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Resultaat Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers 9 juni 2024 - Kieskring Antwerpen". Verkiezingsuitslagen (in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium: Federal Public Service Interior. Archived from the original on 1 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  29. ^ "Gennez op één, wie staat nog in top vijf van voorkeursstemmen?". RTV (in Dutch). Antwerp, Belgium. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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