Some 1,200 people from the culture and events sector protested at Mont des Arts in Brussels on Sunday between 3 and 5 pm, according to the Brussels - Ixelles police zone.
The organisers had divided the participants into 'bubbles' of 400 people. "We insisted on respecting the security measures and, above all, we did not want to give a bad image of our sectors which were already sufficiently caricatured,” said Carl de Moncharline, one of the organisers.
A small group of protesters from an earlier demonstration against the coronavirus measures joined in out of solidarity. They were asked to withdraw so as not to mix the message with the demands of the culture sector.
Stromae's song "Alors on danse" resounded at the beginning of the meeting, but the crowd remained symbolically frozen stiff.
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At the event, numerous sectors were represented for whom the link with the public is essential: discotheques, cinemas, events, circus, culture and catering. A dozen speakers took the floor to express the vulnerability they have been experiencing for months now.
"We expect evolution and can work with the virus,” said de Moncharline. "We would like to breathe new life into the various sectors of activity. Culture represents 5% of GDP. In any case, we can no longer have National Security Councils that do not even talk about us. This is not acceptable,” he said.
“There are thousands of people who are being plunged into untold difficulties and some of them will not survive,” he continued.
“We want those responsible to look into the problem in an individualised way. The sectors must be gradually reopened. We are all professionals and are capable of doing so properly,” he concluded.
The Brussels Times
