1,200 people march in second anti-fascist demonstration in Brussels

Anti-fascist protesters gathered in Brussels on Tuesday for the second time in a week, warning against the rise of the far right in Flanders, Belgium and Europe. According to the police, about 1,200 people participated.

The protesters gathered from 18.30 at Place De Brouckère in central Brussels. The demonstration had permission from the mayor of Brussels and proceeded without incident.

The gathering was an initiative of the Belgian Anti-Fascist Coordination organisation. They are concerned about the election results, especially “the 23 per cent share of Vlaams Belang in Flanders”, “the right-wing radicalisation of the French-speaking liberal party MR” and “the rise of 178 far-right MEPs in the European Parliament”.

“These results are the consequence of decades of austerity policies,” the organisers said. They said an accumulation of anti-social measures had led to a system where “inequality is the rule” and “solidarity is pushed to the background”. The organisation wants to “remind people of the importance of the cordon sanitaire” and develop an alternative social programme.

On Sunday, activists from the Belgian Anti-Fascist Coordination and sympathisers will again march through Brussels for a national demonstration. Last Saturday, about 900 people also gathered in Brussels.

​_{Anti-fascist demonstration in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO ANTONY GEVAERT}