Manneken Pis was dressed on Sunday morning in an outfit bearing the word “Change” ahead of the Climate March 2026 in Brussels later in the day.
The action was organised by climate campaigner Nic Balthazar, Grandparents for the Climate and the Climate Coalition, who said they wanted to put the climate crisis back in the spotlight in a playful way just hours before the march began.
The costume will be worn temporarily by the famous Brussels statue. A T-shirt reading “Climate Alarmist” will also be added to Manneken Pis’s wardrobe.
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The T-shirt was formally received on Sunday morning by Mark, one of the statue’s three official dressers and a City of Brussels employee.
“We must put out the fuse by urinating on it before the powder explodes,” Balthazar said. “Grandparents for the Climate are here to support their grandchildren. There are so many lit fuses and so much powder that a small trickle of water is no longer enough — we need a strong jet.”
Through the words “Change” and “Climate Alarmist”, the campaigners said they wanted above all to stress the need for a change in political direction.
They argued that the federal government is not doing enough on climate policy and is focusing too heavily on defence.
“Climate is also security,” Balthazar said.
The activists said the federal government must change course. They insisted they were not opposed to defence spending, but argued that investing in climate action is currently the country’s best line of defence.
They also said that anyone making that argument is too quickly dismissed as a “climate alarmist,” a label they are now seeking to reclaim.
The Climate March is due to set off in the streets of Brussels at around 14:00. Grandparents for the Climate said they hoped for 100,000 participants, though they expect about 30,000 to attend.
