The action groups Mars Attacks, Parents Attacks, Students Attacks and Ecoles en lutte are calling for a large peaceful demonstration on Monday in the streets of Brussels in response to the many testimonies of police violence during protests against cuts in French-language education. They call for a meeting on Poelaertplein at 4 p.m.
Source: Belga
“We call on all civil society, everyone who opposes the destruction of young people with reforms and with batons, to take to the streets. We call for the largest possible peaceful demonstration against all forms of violence against young people,” a press release said on Sunday.
The organizations say they are shocked by the events of June 4 and 5, in which young people as young as 12 or 13 years old and adults who tried to protect them were “pursued, bombarded with tear gas and batons, and arrested” during a police operation. In recent days, numerous testimonies have circulated about insults, derogatory comments and the use of violence against minors.
“We have heard police officers call young people ‘savages’, ‘whores’ (‘petites putes’) and ‘left-wing scum’ (‘gauchiasses’). Racist and sexist statements that are reminiscent of the excesses of the extreme right,” the organizations added.
They insist that children’s rights must be guaranteed, also during demonstrations. “We refuse to accept that young people are treated as a threat while exercising their democratic rights,” the action groups said, announcing that they intend to file a complaint with Comité P, the external monitoring body for police services.
Finally, they call on the schools to make time on Monday to listen to the young people, answer their questions, analyze the events together and think about democratic issues at play.