Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to take part in a protest march against Israeli violence in Gaza. The protesters included trade unionists, members of civil society organisations, members of youth groups and others. The police say that 75,000 people took part, while the organisers put the figure at nearer 100,000. Many of the protesters wore red that was symbolic of their call to draw a red line under violence. The protest was organised by the umbrella organisation for international solidarity 11.11.11.
Tens of thousands of people march in Brussels for an end to the violence in Gaza
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The march started near to Brussel North Station at 2.45 pm and headed towards the European District where the first of the proters arrived at around 5pm. Before the march got under way there were performances from artists including Koen Wauters, Tamino and Zwangere Guy.
The aim of the march was to try and convince policy makers in Belgium and the European Union to take a stance against Israel. The organisers of the demonstration say that as things stand there is a lot of talk, but action is lacking.
According to 11.11.11, more than 70% of Belgians believe that the EU should impose sanctions on Israel, in the same way that sanctions have been imposed on Russia. “War crimes, targeting civilians and blocking aid can no longer go unpunished. Enough is enough” the NGO says.