Thousands attend anti-racism rally in Brussels

Thousands of people gathered in Brussels on Sunday March 24th to denounce racism, and to affirm their solidarity with victims of racist abuse.

The protest began at 1pm on Sunday at Gare du Nord. At 2pm, the demonstrators marched towards Mont des Arts, before ending up at Jeu de Balle. The protesters sang chants such as “solidarity with the peoples of the world”, “stop discrimination”, and “hatred, we’ve had enough. Racists, we’ve had enough. Fascists, we’ve had enough. Terrorists, we’ve had enough”.

The protest -the second of its kind in as many years- was organised by Platform 21/03. Its stated intention was to highlight the fact that, while the International Day against Racism and Discrimination took place on Thursday, March 21, racism is still all too often part of the daily experience of numerous people across the world.

“Racism still exists very much at the structural level, as well as at the level of discourse, and divides rather than unites people,” said Esther Kouablan, director of the Movement Against Racism, Antisemitism and Xenophobia (MRAX). “This protest was aimed at ensuring that we are part of an inclusive social and political process, rather than an exclusive one.”