Several thousand people are expected to attend a major demonstration for public health organised this afternoon in central Brussels, police said.
The Great Demonstration for Health, as it calls itself, starts at 13.00 on Sunday on the Mont des Arts close to the Royal Palace.
The demonstration has police authorisation, providing organisers ensure adherence to the health provisions.
Some 6,500 people have expressed the intention of attending on the event’s Facebook page, with another 9,500 expressing an interest. Police would only say they expect “several thousand” to take part.
The demonstration is a static one, beginning and ending on the Mont des Arts.
“Covid-19 forces us to work in a specific way,” a police spokesperson said. “We must try to form groups of 400 people who will not mix with each other. We will try to solve this problem with the organisers, depending on the number of people present.”
The organisers of the demonstration are calling for a review of health service financing, and in particular an increase in the financing of salaries for health service staff and of spending on resources.
Demonstrators attending the event are requested to arrive by public transport given the traffic situation in the city centre, made worse by the cycle race Bxl Tour also taking place today.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
