George Floyd protests in Belgium explained

George Floyd protests in Belgium
Causes:	Reaction to the murder of George Floyd Decolonisation of public space
Place:	Belgium
Date:	1 June 2020 – 2021
Caption:	Protests in Brussels on 7 June 2020
Partof:	George Floyd protests

Shortly after protests seeking justice for George Floyd, an African-American who was murdered during a police arrest, began in the United States, some people in Belgium protested to show solidarity with Americans protestors and to demonstrate against issues with police or racism. Vigils and protests of up to thousands of participants took place nationwide.

Timeline

1 June

• Brussels: Around 50 people protested at the Place de la Monnaie, despite the event having been cancelled by its organizers due to coronavirus restrictions.^[1]
• Ghent: About 500 people protested at the Sint-Pietersplein.^[2]

6 June

• Liège: About 700 people protested in an anti-racist march, despite coronavirus restrictions.^[3]
• Antwerp: About 700 people protested in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.^[4]

7 June

• Antwerp: About 1,200 people protested in an anti-racist march.^[5]
• Brussels: About 10,000 protesters gathered in Brussels to protest in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.^{[6] [7]}
• Ghent: About 750 people protested in the Zuidpark.^[8]
• Hasselt: 200 people gathered at a Black Lives Matter demonstration.^[9]
• Kortrijk: About 15 people held a spontaneous demonstration.^[10]
• Ostend: About 300 people protested in an anti-racist march.^[11]
• Halle: About 200 people protested in an anti-racist march.^[12]

8 June

• Leuven: Over 100 people marched through the city, even though the demonstration was explicitly not allowed.^[13]

9 June

• Bruges: 200 people held a silent protest at 't Zand square.^[14]

20 June

• Oudenaarde: A handful of young people held a solidarity protest for the victims of racist police brutality.^[15]

Statues

See also: List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests.

Because King Leopold II was infamous for historic mass murder, disfigurement and other atrocities in the Congo, many statues of him were defaced or vandalised, including ones in Halle, Ostend, Ghent, Antwerp, and at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren.^{[16] [17]}

• The statue in Antwerp was eventually removed altogether by the city.^[18] Its removal was cited by Minister Ben Wyatt of Western Australia as a reason to rename the King Leopold Ranges.^[19]
• Authorities at the University of Mons took down a bust of Leopold II located in the Faculty of Economics and Management, and permanently placed it in storage, after a petition to remove the bust began circulating online.^{[20] [21]}
• On June 11, a bust of Leopold II was removed from its pedestal in the Brussels municipality of Auderghem.^[22]
• Authorities at KU Leuven took down a bust of Leopold II located in the University Library and placed it in storage.^{[23] [24]}
• A bust of Leopold II was removed from Zuidpark on the 60th anniversary of Congo's independence, and moved to a warehouse in STAM.^{[25] [26] [27]}

Reactions

Some Belgian politicians, including Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès and Minister-President of Flanders Jan Jambon, criticized the march for taking place during COVID-19 restrictions, which included a ban on demonstrations. Others condemned acts of violence and looting that occurred during some of the protests. After multiple officers received injuries following protests that turned violent, Belgian police unions voted to go on strike.^[28]

In response to the treatment of statues of King Leopold II had received during the protests, Prince Laurent of Belgium, younger brother of the current king, defended King Leopold II by saying that "Leopold II had never been to Congo. So I don't see how he would have made people suffer there".^[29] He added, "You should see what Leopold II has done for Belgium. He had parks built in Brussels and many other things".

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2020-06-01. 'Black Lives Matter' protest in Brussels continues despite ban. 2020-06-16. The Brussels Times. en.
2. Web site: News. Flanders. 2020-06-03. "What happens in the US touches us too". 2020-06-16. vrtnws.be. en.
3. Web site: 2020-06-07. Mort de George Floyd : Pour en finir avec le racisme, des milliers de…. https://archive.today/20200607021551/https://www.20minutes.fr/monde/2794039-20200606-mort-george-floyd-finir-racisme-milliers-personnes-foulent-pave-monde. dead. 2020-06-07. 2020-06-16. archive.vn.
4. Web site: Tot 700 betogers op Black Lives Matter-protest in Antwerpen. 2020-06-16. De Standaard. 6 June 2020 . nl-BE.
5. Web site: Grote opkomst op 'Black Lives Matter'-protest in Antwerpen: "Hoeveel keer ik ben uitgescholden omwille van mijn huidskleur? Ik ben de tel kwijtgeraakt". 7 June 2020. HLN. nl. 7 June 2020.
6. Web site: 7 June 2020. 10.000 demonstranten op straat voor 'Black Lives Matter'-actie in Brussel, voorlopig geen incidenten. 7 June 2020. De Morgen. nl.
7. Web site: 2020-06-07. 10,000 people join Black Lives Matter demonstration in Brussels against police brutality and racism. 2020-06-16. The Brussels Times. en.
8. Web site: Protestactie tegen racisme lokt 750 betogers naar Zuidpark in Gent, organisatoren riskeren GAS-boete. 7 June 2020. HLN. nl. 7 June 2020.
9. Web site: NWS. VRT. 2020-06-07. 150 arrestaties voor rellen na Black Lives Matter-betoging, politici noemen massaprotest "nefast voor virusverspreiding". 2020-06-16. vrtnws.be. nl.
10. Web site: Lanssens. Peter. 7 June 2020. Black Lives Matter houdt actie op Grote Markt: "Ook in Kortrijk wordt racisme onder de mat geveegd". 9 June 2020. Het Laatste Nieuws. nl.
11. Web site: 300 mensen verzamelen voor 'black lives matter'-protest in Oostende: "Het enige wat we vragen is mensenrechten, dat is toch niet te veel gevraagd?". 7 June 2020. HLN. nl. 7 June 2020.
12. Web site: Serene Black Lives Matter-manifestatie in Halle. 2020-06-16. Ring TV Jouw zender, Jouw nieuws. nl.
13. Web site: Smets. Joris. Mertens. Bart. Aerts. Kim. 8 June 2020. Verboden protest tegen racisme in Leuven loopt uit de hand. 8 June 2020. Het Laatste Nieuws. nl.
14. Web site: Mariën. Mathias. 9 June 2020. Stil protest in Brugge tegen racisme, stadsbestuur opent rouwregister. 9 June 2020. Het Laatste Nieuws. nl.
15. Web site: De Coster. Ronny. 20 June 2020. Jongeren steunen Black Lives Matter op Oudenaardse markt. 21 June 2020. Het Laatste Nieuws. nl.
16. Web site: 2020-06-05. Leopold II statue defaced at Africa Museum. 2020-06-16. The Brussels Times. en.
17. News: Belgians Target Some Royal Monuments In Black Lives Matter Protest. 2020-06-16. NPR. 5 June 2020. en. Schultz. Teri.
18. Web site: Who was Leopold II, why did Belgium's Antwerp remove his statue?. 2020-06-16. www.aljazeera.com.
19. News: Name of Belgian 'tyrant' king linked to millions of African deaths wiped from WA mountain range. ABC News. 12 June 2020.
20. Web site: University of Mons takes down Leopold II statue. 10 June 2020.
21. Web site: L'UMons retire un buste de Léopold II suite à une pétition. 9 June 2020.
22. Web site: Leopold II bust pulled from pedestal in Brussels. 12 June 2020.
23. Web site: Values made visible: KU Leuven places bust of Leopold II in storage. 12 June 2020.
24. Web site: The Bulletin . 20 June 2020 . 16 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200616105431/http://www.flanderstoday.eu/leopold-ii-statues-defaced-and-removed-across-belgium . dead .
25. Web site: Gent haalt beeld Leopold II weg: "Een dergelijk figuur kunnen we niet langer eren". Het Nieuwsblad. 18 June 2020 . June 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200618183203/https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20200617_04994001. June 18, 2020. live.
26. Web site: Belgium takes down statue, king regrets colonial violence. Associated Press. 20 April 2021.
27. News: Bust of former Belgian king removed in Ghent. The Hill . 30 June 2020 . Budryk . Zack .
28. Web site: NWS. VRT. 2020-06-07. "Onverantwoord": politici niet te spreken over massa van 10.000 mensen op betoging in Brussel. 2020-06-16. vrtnws.be. nl.
29. News: Belgium's 'cursed prince' defends Leopold II over Congo cruelty as anti-racism protesters zero in . . 12 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220929205054/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/12/belgiums-cursed-prince-defends-leopold-ii-congo-cruelty-anti/ . 29 September 2022 . live . Crisp . James .