On Sunday afternoon around 4,500 people took part in a demonstration against right-wing extremism and the political shift to the right in Belgium. The demonstration that took place in Brussels was organised by various left-wing and anti-fascist groups. Some of the demonstrators vandalised the entrance to the far-right party Vlaams Belang’s headquarters on the Madouplein in Sint-Joost-ten-Node (Brussels).
The demonstration began at around midday on the Kunstberg in the centre of Brussels. According to police estimates, around 4,500 people marched from there towards Luxemburgplein, the square in front of the European Parliament. There speeches and concerts were held. The organisers say that as many as 10,000 people were at the demonstration.
The demonstrators included families with children, students and older people. They carried placards with slogans such as "Never again!" or "The brown plague is back, don't let it infect you!".
One of the reasons for the demonstration was the electoral success of the far-right party Vlaams Belang in Flanders. Vlaams Belang received 22.7% of the vote in the elections on 9 June. Another reason the demonstrators saw fit to take to the streets is a more general shift to the (centre) right in Belgian politics.
“Against fascism and racism”
The demonstrators wanted to make it clear to the future federal and regional governments in Belgium that they want policy decisions to be taken to thwart the further growth of the far-right.
One demonstrator told VRT News that "We are here to fight against fascism and racism, things that are all too obviously present in our society. We are also fighting against right-wing politics, which we feel are on the upsurge”.
Some of the participants also drew parallels with the 1930s: "If you look at history, you can see that it starts small and ends big."
According to the police, there were no significant incidents during the demonstration. However, at the Madouplein the headquarters of the far-right party Vlaams Belang was pelted with paintballs and anti-fascist tags were sprayed. Nobody was arrested.