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4,000 join Brussels rally against the far-right

09:20 29/05/2019

Some 4,000 people joined a rally outside the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday against the rise of the far-right in Belgium and elsewhere in Europe, following last weekend's elections.

"The far-right has no place in parliaments and governments," the rally's organisers said on Facebook. "At both federal and regional level in Belgium, the far-right has made a dramatic electoral breakthrough, as in many European countries such as France, Poland, Hungary and the UK."

Representatives from migrants' associations and LGBT+ groups were among those present, carrying signs with messages such as: "No to fascism" and "Fascism not welcome here".

Alexis Deswaef, representative of the Citizen Refugee Support Platform and honorary president of the League of Human Rights, told reporters: "We see today that the cordon sanitaire [a political agreement to exclude the far-right] is about to break and the far-right is being normalised. That is unacceptable."

After about an hour on Place du Luxembourg, the demonstrators marched towards Schuman. A Brussels police spokeswoman said the demonstration passed without incident.

Photo: Hatim Kaghat/Belga

Written by The Bulletin

Comments

paradox

Anyone who isn't a far-left extremist/communist is called a "nazis"...there is no middle area for these people.

May 29, 2019 10:37
paradox

personally i say no to nazis AND communists, they both suck

May 29, 2019 10:39
shirley.foxcastle

Well done! Why didn't other EU countries do the same? The rise of the far right is most disturbing and a backward step that threatens to ruin the progress of the last 70 years.
Is recession responsible? The social media?

May 29, 2019 12:41
paradox

Shirley...why doesn't anyone ever complain about the "Far-Left?" Re: your question, what recession? social media?...nooooo its people like you that don't "have a clue." The "cause" of the popularity of the far right is that the arrogant leftist politicians have long pursued their own agenda, completely ignoring what the people want, and treating them, the voters, with complete disdain. If you are looking for a specific issue, you need look no further than immigration, and immigration is being encouraged by people who wish to keep wages low. You see Belgians are not having babies anymore and this upsets large corporations who don't want to pay increased wages to their employees. It's always about the money, follow the money.

May 29, 2019 13:50
Frank Lee

In a democracy, we should accept that some people have different, even radical ideas. Saying that these people have "no place" in our society is outrageous. While I don't share their ideas, I understand why people would think the way they do, and I welcome their input at the great table of ideas that is our democratic system.

May 29, 2019 15:31
CM

I don't know where Paradox gets his weird, idiotic, and usually completely false ideas from, but good luck to anyone wanting to fight the far right and their nazi ideas.

May 29, 2019 20:13