Campaign against cafes' privatisation of public space

A group of campaigners has installed 54 benches to protest against the privatisation of Place Sainte-Catherine in central Brussels.

“We placed them symbolically on Place Sainte-Catherine to show that it's as simple as that: citizens are just asking for space to sit down,” said Lea, a member of the Free 54 collective.

The action is the latest in almost 10 years of activism intended to denounce what the group considers to be the privatisation of Place Sainte-Catherine, and more generally of public space in the centre of Brussels.

Numerous hotels and catering establishments in Place Sainte-Catherine have slowly but surely been encroaching into the public space, Free 54 said.

Other actions have been taken in an attempt to reclaim the lost space, but to no avail. Now that local elections are coming, the collective hopes to once again raise the issue with the local authorities.

The 54 benches the group placed were financed by crowdfunding. Although they were quickly put to use, they were also quickly removed by the municipal services.

After some discussion, the collective was able to get them back. Some are still in the square, while others have been moved to the Parc Ouest in Molenbeek, which the collective said was regrettable.

“We can clearly see that the current function of Place Sainte-Catherine and Quai aux Briques is commercial,” said Lea.

“We seemingly prefer a city where people consume, walk around and move quickly rather than a city where people sit down, take their time and read a book.”

Lea noted that “public space is also the only outdoor space for many people”, namely those without gardens, homeless people and undocumented migrants.

“Public space is not just pleasant, it's also necessary,” she added.