Ixelles Mayor Romain De Reusme said on Wednesday he had taken note of the Council of State’s suspension of his order banning a far-right demonstration at Place du Luxembourg, while arguing that the ruling raised issues beyond the legal sphere.
De Reusme (Parti socialiste) said the gathering had been presented as a student demonstration but was in fact part of a much broader mobilisation by the European far right. He charged that such movements rely on disinformation and the distortion of facts to fuel fear and build support for ideas that, in his view, sow division and hatred.
While describing the right to protest as fundamental, he argued that it must evolve so that democracy can defend itself against those who use its freedoms to weaken it from within.
The demonstration, scheduled for 2.45 p.m. on Wednesday, went ahead after the Council of State suspended the mayor’s decision. Police said 125 people attended.
The rally was organised by Dutch far-right activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who promotes the 'Save Europe Act,' a proposal presented as a legislative framework to “restore borders, the rule of law and preserve European civilisation.”
The appeal calls in particular for a moratorium on uncontrolled asylum procedures, remigration policies and the defence of “European culture.”
Vlaardingerbroek also advocates the abolition of European Union institutions and contends that the “great replacement” theory is “no longer a theory but a fact.”
Signatories to the 'Save Europe Act' include former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, representatives of Germany’s AfD party, Vlaams Belang leader Tom Van Grieken, the party’s former leader Filip Dewinter, and Dries Van Langenhove, leader of the far-right Flemish nationalist youth organisation Schild & Vrienden.
