arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

I just returned from the manifestations in Brussels. It is hard to say how many people were there because there were several manifestions, and the trail of the protest march was different. The March passed the U.S. embassy, were many participants stayed. The rest moved on to the Leopold station, were the march ended. From there many returned to the US-embassy. There were thousands of people in front of the US-embassy. Later I saw that other groups were prevented from joining us. The police had 4 watercanons (2 spouts each) in front of the embassy, and used them regularly, even when nothing was happening, apparently just to disperse the crow. This provoked anger, and sticks and stones were thrown at the water canons. I can't say who started. It just happens. Things turned grim. In the Wetstraat I saw how under-cover police men tried to arrest a protester, but they had to run for the angry witnesses. The windows of the Fortis Bank got smashed, the same for the glass front door of the Belgian Petroleum Federation nextdoors (probably a coincidence because the building has no signs that this federation has its seat there). Tear gas was also used. After the incident in the Wetstraat, the police closed off the ring just before the Wetstraat, with a watercanon behind the police cordon. When we wanted to leave the police closed off the road just before the Beliard staat. We were trapped. From the other side the police had been urging the crowd in front of the embassy to move towards us. There were two other groups of protesters. On in the Beliard straat, and one on the Ring at the other side of the crossroad The police kept us apart on the crossroad, where they also had watercanons. They threatend the group in the Beliard Straat to use the waterkanon, if they didn't move back and dispersed. Once the Beliard was cleared people from our group could start leaving, in groups of around 5 at a time. We went down the Beliard straat, into a side street, and walked on. This way we could see what was happening on the Ring, every time we crossed a street. Things were not looking good there, we saw people running, chased by police, and were warned by protesters who had escaped that things were getting out of hand. So we moved back to the VUB.

The most heard slogan was "fermez l'ambassade des terorristes". A demand to sent the US-embassy staff home and close the embassy. A demand which makes sense. This is the third day of trouble in front of the US-embassy. Tomorrow will certainly be the 4th day. I don't know how bad it ended tonight (if it has ended yet). But if it was as bad as we were told, things will probably get worse tomorrow. The Belgian government must understand the anger of the people over the fact that the embassy is still open. The US government has put itself above international law by starting a preventive war on Irak. A war which has disrupted peacefull weaponinspections which were starting to get successful. A war over which this government agrees with their people that it is unjust and illegal. So what with the US-embassy? Will the government let its police slide into a war with the crowds that will continue to go to the US-embassy to show their anger over a war which the government itself condemns? The Belgian government should tell the US that they can nolonger assure the safety of the embassy staff. The US-embassy staff, by their mere presence, disturb the public order, and therefor must be requested to close their embassy and leave. This could also inspire other governments whose public order is disturbed by the presence of a US-embassy. Besides solving a problem of public porder, so peace-manifestions can become peacefull manifestations again, of course there is the additional argument that the US have stepped out of the international community, as Saddam did in 1990. That alone could be a reason to send the embassy staff home.
I want to invite those who agree, to start writing letters in this sense to the Prime Minister, The minister of foreign affaris, the minister of interior, and the fraction leaders in Parliament. I certainly am going to do it.