To mark the International Day Against Police Violence, on Friday evening, a large demonstration was organised in the streets of Brussels to pay tribute to the victims of police violence in Belgium while calling for justice and respect for people's human rights.
The organisers put the number of demonstrators at 2,500, while the Brussels police said it was 900 people who marched in the capital
By 18:00, the crowd had gathered at Place du Congrès, a stone's throw from the police station where Ilyes Abeddou, Mohamed Amine and Sourour Abouda died.
"Stop police repression. Justice and truth for all", read a giant banner. After speeches and a minute's silence, the procession headed for the police station at 5, rue du Brabant, before moving on to the Nouveau Marché Aux Grains.
People attend a march in solidarity to mark the International Day against Police Violence and Repression, Friday 15 March 2024, in Brussels.
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Organised by the self-managed collective Outils solidaires contre les violences policières (OSVP), the demonstration was intended to demand "systemic change, justice and truth" for victims of police abuse.
"Police violence in Belgium is still largely invisible because of the government's unwillingness to produce statistics. 2023 alone counted no fewer than ten deaths linked to police intervention", the organisers argued.
The demonstrators say this is the "tip of the iceberg", and have various demands. These include calling for disciplinary procedures to be made automatic in the event of deaths involving police officers, and for the offences of contempt and rebellion to be abolished "to protect the right to freedom of expression".
