Protest in Brussels

70,000 Demand Ceasefire and Military Embargo on Israel

Protestors gather in Brussels to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, 20 October. Photo credit: Nicolas Maeterlinck

Over the past year, the Palestine solidarity movement in Belgium has gained significant momentum, as activists across the country have pressured the government to push for an immediate ceasefire and impose economic sanctions on Israel. In many ways, the protest on Sunday 20 October, was the culmination of these efforts, with 70,000 people marching in Brussels to demand urgent action to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza and cut ties with the Israeli state.

“The people marching in Brussels on Sunday showed me there is no despair, only determination and hope,” said Jasper Thys from the organization Intal Globalize Solidarity. “The narrative has changed, our movement holds the moral high ground, and little by little, we’re pushing down the international support pillars of the genocidal Israeli state.”

Trade unions bloc at Palestine solidarity demonstration, Brussels, 20 October. Photo credit: PTB-PVDA

This rally was the largest so far, points out Matilde De Cooman from Viva Salud, an organization involved in international health solidarity, with strong connections to groups in Gaza. “It shows that people still care about what’s happening in Gaza and also about the worsening situation in Lebanon. We will not stop until our government takes responsibility to end the genocide,” De Cooman told Peoples Dispatch.

Like Thys, many protesters expressed hope at seeing the sustained mobilization one year after 7 October 2023. “Imagine, one year of genocide, and people are still on the streets, demanding a ceasefire,” reflected Sama Jaber, a young Palestinian woman living in Brussels. This is proof that the world still cares about what is happening in Palestine, she added.

While Sunday’s march was certainly impressive, it didn’t come out of nowhere. Long before last October, activists built a strong solidarity movement with Palestine that has since transformed into a mobilization base. There have already been six national demonstrations in Brussels, as well as important local events in cities like Ghent and Liège, De Cooman noted.

Health bloc at demonstration in Brussels, 20 October. Photo credit: Leo Delcourte/Viva Salud

Support for these protests has come from a broad network, including Belgium’s Workers’ Party (PTB/PVDA). On Sunday, PTB general secretary Peter Mertens, European Parliament member Marc Botenga, and recently elected local officials like Julie Steendam and Jos D’Haese joined thousands marching in Brussels. “Each day brings new infernal images of Gaza,” said the PTB/PVDA in a statement on the day of the protest. “Homes, schools, hospitals, and refugee camps are bombarded without mercy.”

The party emphasized that whether in Palestine or Lebanon, Israel’s crimes are enabled by the backing of the United States and European countries. They called for an immediate end to the violence and an arms embargo on Israel.

Health workers figured prominently among those demanding a ceasefire. Hundreds of activists from Viva Salud and Medics for the People (MPLP/GVHV) joined the rally, speaking about Israel’s impunity in targeting nurses, doctors, and other health workers. “Health workers should never, under any circumstances, be military targets,” Viva Salud stated, referencing the ongoing attacks on the health system in Gaza and other occupied territories. Just days before the rally, Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, one of Viva Salud’s partner organizations, was besieged and attacked by Israeli forces. This was not the first time: since a December 2023 raid, Al-Awda’s director, Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, has been forcibly disappeared.

“Act against the destruction of Palestine’s health system,” urged Viva Salud, calling on Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib to press for the release of Dr. Muhanna and hundreds of health workers illegally detained by Israel. For months, the organization has implemented a campaign to get Lahbib to react, yet it has been granted little attention by the ministry.

This might change as the solidarity movement with Palestine continues to grow in Belgium: it’s becoming harder for Belgium’s political establishment to ignore the pressure. For many, the participation of climate activists, trade unions, and anti-racist campaigners marching side by side on Sunday provided fresh energy and hope. As Jasper Thys put it, in Belgium, this might just be remembered in the future as the “Palestine generation.”