Around 300 people gathered outside the French Embassy in Brussels on Sunday to honour Aboubakar Cissé, who was murdered in a mosque in France at the end of April.
The demonstration also aimed to condemn the violence perpetrated by far-right Bruges hooligans against Brussels residents on 4 May.
On 25 April, 22-year-old Aboubakar Cissé was stabbed 57 times in the prayer room of the Khadidja Mosque in La Grand-Combe, Gard. His attacker recorded the incident while making derogatory remarks about Islam and its followers. The suspect has been charged with “premeditated murder due to race or religion” and remains in custody. The Brussels Panther Collective, which organised the Sunday rally, calls the killing an act of Islamophobia.
“The murder of Aboubakar is yet another proof that Islamophobia kills,” the collective stated. They suggest that this crime is part of a longstanding “campaign of Islamophobic propaganda,” fuelled by “lethal policies” and media output that “spread hatred towards Muslims.”
Islamophobia is also on the rise in Belgium. Referring to recent hooligan violence in Brussels as a “racist attack,” the collective emphasises that these incidents should not be seen as “isolated acts” by “a few deranged individuals.” They argue these events are the result of “stigmatisation of working-class Brussels neighbourhoods,” often perpetuated by certain media.
“The racist attacks of 4 May are a pressing reminder of the need to stand against Islamophobia, all forms of racism, and the far-right,” stated the Front de Mères Belgium, a residents’ group which also participated in the gathering.
The protesters later joined a ceasefire demonstration for Palestine that commenced at 14:00 at the North Station.
