12,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday afternoon to take part in a pro-Palestinian demo in the European District police say. The protesters wanted to show support for the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and denounce Israel’s policies. The organisers - a broad coalition of civil society organisations and trade unions - counted as many as 40,000 participants. No major incidents were reported.
The demonstrators want the European Union to do all it can to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Gaza residents should be protected and given access to international aid. The protesters carried placards with slogans including "Stop the genocide!" and "Ceasefire now!".
The event was organised by several organisations including charities 11.11.11., Broederlijk Delen as well as the Association belgo-palestinienne.
In other European cities, large pro-Palestinian demonstrations have led to confrontations with the police or have been stopped. Organisers in Brussels explicitly called for law and order to be maintained during the demonstration.
Everything went peacefully, says VRT NWS journalist Jeroen Reygaert: "It was a mixture of Dutch-speakers and Francophones. They listened to several speeches. That the demonstration is taking place here is no coincidence," says Reygaert. "A lot of demonstrators are angry with the European Commission for not speaking out strongly enough in favour of the Palestinians and against Israel."
Since the large-scale surprise attack by terror organisation Hamas against Israel on 7 October, the Israeli army has been bombarding the Gaza Strip, where Hamas holds sway, carrying out retaliatory attacks. This has already left thousands dead in this densely populated area. The humanitarian situation there is also particularly dire.
