A few hundred people marched from the rue de l'Athénée in Ixelles to the place de l'Albertine in the centre of Brussels on Tuesday evening for the occasion of the international day against police violence.
The demonstrators carried a banner bearing the message “Justice for all victims,” Belga News Agency reports.
They chanted slogans such as “Justice for all” and “When the police kill, justice acquits.”
Speeches deplore racism, criminalisation of victims
In speeches at the place de l'Albertine, speakers denounced the criminalisation of the victims and racism in the police ranks.
They deplored the fact that a large number of cases have been dismissed, but saw notable progress in the suspended sentence for "involuntary manslaughter due to lack of foresight or precaution" of the police officer who shot and killed Mawda, a 2-year-old Kurdish girl, on 17 May 2018.
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The relatives of the victims further criticised the investigations done by the police force when it comes to such incidents, calling for more support for less partial groups that assist those investigations. They also pointed out a lack of communication between the press, the police and the families.
Among the actors who initiated the rally were the Collectif de Luttes Anti-Carcérales (CLAC), the Jeunes Organisés et Combatifs (JOC) and the Outil Solidaire contre les Violences Policières (OSVP) collective.
