Anti-fascist demonstration planned in response to election results

Activists from the Belgian Anti-Fascist Coordination are planning a march through Brussels on Sunday in response to the election results, saying they are worried about the rising popularity of the far right.

Organisers said that the 23% share of Vlaams Belang voters in Flanders, "the (very) right-wing radicalisation of a victorious MR" and "the arrival of 178 far-right MEPs in the European parliament" are all cause for concern, creating a need to remind people of the dangers of fascism.

“[The election results] were the result of decades of austerity policies and the trivialisation of racism at the highest levels of government,” the organisers added.

“The accumulation of anti-social, repressive, racist and sexist measures pushes us towards a system where inequality is the rule and solidarity is pushed to the background.”

The organisation pointed to other European countries where anti-fascist demonstrations have also been taking place since Sunday following the European election results. In France, for example, the far-right National Rally scored high.

The plan is to gather at Mont des Arts around 13.00 on 16 June, Bruzz reports, then process to Place du Luxembourg. Police have already authorised the demonstration.

The organisers expect “several thousand” participants, according to Sixtine Van Outryve of the Anti-Fascist Coordination.

A first action took place on Tuesday evening in the form of a demonstration with speeches at Place De Brouckère, which attracted an estimated 1,200 people.

Other demonstrations have already occurred in the wake of the election results, with activists sharing slogans such as "No forgetting, no hatred", "F**k fascist Europe", and "Never again".

During speeches, anti-fascist activists stressed the importance of “standing together” against the rise of the far right in Europe by taking to the streets “as long as it takes”.

Photo: An anti-fascist rally in Leuven earlier this year. Ine Gillis/Belga