A video published by a YouTuber identifying as Jamie Sanders, entitled "In the worst neighbourhood of the richest country in Europe", has been viewed over 30,000 times and set off heated debate on social media. The video focuses on people with dark skin, graffiti, and individuals lying on the street, with commentary that paints a bleak picture of the area.
One segment shows police officers nearby while alleged drug dealers attempt to sell drugs.
On Thursday afternoon, we visited the same locations with Maurice Bauer, the First Alderman of Luxembourg City, to get a first-hand impression of the situation. We acknowledge that any observation is inevitably subjective.
One clip in Sanders' video shows him walking past a bus stop where he tells his viewers that the people at the scene make him feel as though he is in "North Africa". When we retraced this same segment, albeit in the opposite direction, we encountered a completely different scene.
This underlines how timing and the choice of focus can shape the narrative in such videos. Perspective is everything.
On Thursday at 2pm at the station, there were a few individuals who stood out; some disappeared as soon as our microphone became visible, others seemed amused but were clearly inebriated or under the influence of drugs. To speak of "chaos" or insecurity, as Sanders does, is an exaggeration, although it is understandable that some people may find the atmosphere unpleasant.
It is important to stress that, while we were there, hundreds of people used the station or passed through without being disturbed. On adjacent streets, people were enjoying drinks on terraces.
We met Bauer outside the station. He cautioned against sugar-coating the situation, acknowledging that problems persist and more needs to be done.
However, he noted that the video presents "a rather one-sided picture" and contains "racist remarks that I strongly condemn".
The video also depicts police officers while, reportedly behind their backs, dealers are offering drugs. According to the police, this is a misrepresentation.
Their press service provided a written statement for this article, emphasising that from January to June, 148 suspected drug dealers were arrested (compared to 216 the previous year), with the majority of arrests taking place in the city.
The police further clarified that from their perspective these isolated scenes presented without context do not provide a realistic picture of daily life in Luxembourg, especially in the capital, nor do they offer a general overview of police operations. Concerning police enforcement, they emphasise that police officers pursue all criminal acts, including offences relating to drug legislation.
Several politicians, including MPs Fred Keup (Alternative Democratic Reform Party, ADR), Marc Goergen (Pirate Party), and Marc Ruppert (Fokus), have commented on the video.
ADR parliamentary group leader Keup asked on Facebook what the solution was, only to answer vaguely that most of the people depicted had nothing to do with the city and that "the solution was simple", without offering concrete proposals.
Maurice Bauer argued that it was precisely not simple. He described the district as a "melting pot" of many different people, with the city, government, police, and various social actors constantly working to improve the situation.
Reports produced by RTL over recent decades repeatedly highlight that the feeling of insecurity in the Gare district is higher than in much of the rest of the country. Over the years, the authorities have introduced a range of new measures: video surveillance has been expanded, police presence increased following the deployment of private security agents, and more recently, bans on begging and loitering have been introduced.
Social measures have also been put in place, including outreach workers and support staff from the À vos côtés programme, who assist residents if they feel unsafe.
The opposition in Luxembourg City has long called for more extensive social infrastructure and programmes, but over the years expansion has been minimal.
Maurice Bauer still shares the view expressed by Mayor Lydie Polfer in a radio interview in January 2021: "The more we offer here, the more people will come from abroad, because, for example, there is no equivalent to Abrigado [a supervised drug consumption facility] in the Greater Region, and other structures are also lacking."
Bauer stated that we must show solidarity with local people in need – nothing should be too much for us – but we cannot create a situation where anyone from across Europe can come to Luxembourg.
Mayor Polfer has repeatedly attributed the lack of improvement to insufficient follow-up by the justice system.
Research shows that harsher sentences do not significantly reduce crime, but the risk of getting caught for minor offences does. Countries cited as models for safety often prioritise preventive social measures and community engagement over repressive policing.
Jamie Sanders is 28 years old, and his YouTube channel is based in Belgium. Upon request for comment, he said that he lives in Flanders, Belgium, where he still works a regular 9/5 job.
Sanders says he hopes to one day live off of his videos, which he describes as focused on "showing reality without a filter". He also underlined that he is "completely independent", working by himself, and only making money from ads, not from political donations.
