BRUSSELS: Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Brussels on Sunday to express support for the Palestinian cause.
Police estimated the turnout at 70,000 participants, while organisers claimed 120,000 people had joined the demonstration.
Many marchers were dressed in red and carried red cards, symbolising calls for tougher measures against Israel to protect civilians in Gaza.
A 60-year-old security worker named Ismet Gumusboga shared his personal dream of a Palestinian state where people can live freely.
A 27-year-old student named Samuele Toppi highlighted the city’s role as a focal point for international politics and the importance of protesting there.
Gregory Mauze, spokesman for the Belgo-Palestinian association ABP, stated that current measures are inadequate in the face of what he described as ongoing genocide.
The protest came days after Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the EU’s credibility was collapsing due to its failure to act over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Belgium has announced it will recognise the State of Palestine at this month’s UN General Assembly and has imposed new sanctions against Israel.
The European Union has failed to take unified action against Israel because of deep divisions among its 27 member states.
Israel began its military operation in Gaza after Hamas’s October 2023 attack that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,368 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. – AFP