Jinnih Beels

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

Early life Beels was born on 8 October 1976 in Calcutta, India. Her mother was Indian and her father was Flemish. Her father worked for a shipping company in Calcutta. She studied criminology at KU Leuven from 1996 to 2000. 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.

In February 2017 an investigation was launched after a racist message, containing a photograph of Beels with the caption ("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. Earlier almost all Moroccan and Turkish origin officers had resigned from the Mechelen police due to racism and bullying. Prosecutors appealed the verdict but in June 2019 the Court of Appeal in Antwerp upheld the acquittal.

Politics 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. After the alliance broke up Beels aligned with SP.A in January 2018. In June 2018 she started working for the SP.A parliamentary group as a safety advisor. She was elected to the municipal council at the local election. Shortly after the election she joined SP.A. She became schepen (alderman) for education, youth, civic integration and naturalisation in January 2019. 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.

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

Personal life Beels is married to a police commissioner and has a son and two step-daughters.

Electoral history + Electoral history of Anja VanrobaeysElectionConstituencyPartyVotesResult 2018 local Antwerp Socialist Party Different Elected 2019 regional Antwerp Socialist Party Different Not elected 2024 federal Antwerp Vooruit Elected