The last significant moment of language-related violent clashes in the streets of Brussels goes back to the early 1960s: two massive marches gathering over 100,000 Flemings.
"The Facebook generation did its job. Thousands of people announced their presence, and on 10 June 2012 a giant picnic took place on the Place de la Bourse and shook Brussels’ political parties out of their lethargy."
"Brussels, as we saw, was never chosen as the capital of the EU. It became the capital of the EU by stealth, in 'stoemelings' as the Brussels dialect puts it, essentially because of the inability of the member states to decide which city this capital should be."
"The little that citizens can be told thanks to an educational use of public monuments is of special importance. And if stains of red paint are left permanently so as to draw more attention, this purpose may be even better served."
Copyright © 2021 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.
