What is "borgerhout"

Borgerhout is a district in the city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The district houses 41,614 inhabitants (as of 31 May 2006) reflecting 90 nationalities. It is divided in two by three adjoining traffic arteries (the Ring highway, the Singel boulevard, and the main railway Brussels-Amsterdam).

The Ring highway surrounding Antwerp follows the line of the old city walls which is why the portion of Borgerhout 'within' the ring highway is known as Borgerhout 'intra muros' (within the walls) whereas the portion outside the ring highway is known as Borgerhout 'extra muros' (outside the walls). Population density is lower in the more recently developed 'extra muros' part of the town. The 'inter muros' part of the town is more densely populated and also contains the main shopping street.

Local references to this part of the town as "Borgerokko" are believed to derive from the higher proportion of residents from North Africa, many being of Moroccan descent. In 2002, there were widespread riots in Borgerhout after a white Belgian man murdered Mohammed Achrak, an Islamic religious affairs teacher of Moroccan origin. Racial tensions have been brewing in Antwerp—where one in three voters supports the far-right anti-immigration Vlaams Belang—for years. In 2011, a smaller riot occurred in the neighborhood after the Moroccan soccer team defeated the Algerian team 4-0. Many residents, however, feel the news coverage of these events has been overblown because of fears of ethnic minorities.