Police used water canons and arrested 40 protestors at a demonstration against the far-right French MEP Jordan Bardella on Wednesday evening.
Bardella is leader of the far-right French party National Rally (RN) and was elected to the European Parliament in June. He was expected at the House of Hungary at 18:30 on Wednesday evening for a talk and a signing of his first book Ce que je cherche ('What I am looking for').
Almost 1,000 protestors led by the Anti-Fascist Coordination of Belgium (CAB), the Popular University of Brussels, the Ades Network and the Anti-Fascist Front of Liège gathered at the intersection of Avenue des Arts and Rue de la Loi from 18:00. "The extreme right kills," read the sign of one protester.
At around 18:30, some demonstrators attempted to breach the police barrier, prompting officers to use batons, tear gas and water cannons on the crowd. Some protesters responded by setting off firecrackers and fireworks.
Manuel Abramowic, an antifascist activist and editor of the online magazine Résistances, was at the demonstration. "Jordan Bardella's RN is a party like no other," he told The Brussels Times. "It is a far-right party. Bardella has received excellent media training to appear relatable to young voters, and people end up voting for RN without knowing it is the far-right as a result."
RN president Jordan Bardella poses with a fan during the book signing of 'Ce que je cherche'. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
Vlaams Belang headquarters attacked
Abramowicz says the activists who breached the police barricade were individuals not connected to the official campaign against Bardella.
Once the official demonstration ended, it transformed into an unauthorised march which was eventually broken up by police in the European Quarter.
Videos have emerged of activists attacking Vlaams Belang headquarters in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Party leader Tom Van Grieken has called on police to arrest the vandals in question.
Vlaams Belang-secretariaat in #Brussel werd vanavond het mikpunt voor een aanval door zgn anti-fascistische ‘democraten’ van extreem-links. Als het fascisme terugkomt zal het onder het mom van het anti-fascisme zijn en met de democratie als dekmantel… pic.twitter.com/rmQuuqMnbC
— Filip Dewinter (@FDW_VB) November 13, 2024
Far-right ties
Supporters of Bardella including members of the far-right political parties Vlaams Belang and Chez Nous were also present on Wednesday evening.
The House of Hungary is just next to the Prime Minister's official residence on Rue de la Loi and was purchased by the Hungarian government three years ago. Issues at the protest were anticipated ahead of time because of the 'no-go zone' on Rue de la Loi.
Protestors highlight the links between Bardella, the illiberal Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Vincent Bolloré, the billionaire whose publishing company Fayard is behind Bardella's book.
They say it is no coincidence that "Jordan Bardella's book is published by Fayard and that the event is hosted by the House of Hungary, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a model for all far-right movements globally."
Rassemblement anti-fasciste pour contrer la venue et la séance dédicace de @J_Bardella.
Bruxelles est anti-fasciste. pic.twitter.com/dxyyaiCDXX — MATHIEU Alexis (@Mathieu_Ale) November 13, 2024
Ce que je cherche evokes the 'Great Replacement' theory. This racist conspiracy theory posits that (non-white) immigrants are entering European countries to replace the dominant (white) population. The theory, promoted by Vlaams Belang, has been widely discredited in Belgium.
"There are certain truths in Bardella's book: things are going very wrong in France," says Abramowic. "Emmanuel Macron is leading the country into an economic catastrophe and life is very difficult for the majority of French people. But the solution is not a 'homogenous society' which is a cover for a 'pure race' ideology."
