The 'L'abîme' collective, which organised the unauthorised La Boum 2 event in Brussels on 1 May, announced that it would no longer organise the third edition, which was set to take place in the Bois de la Cambre on Saturday.
In a Facebook post on Friday evening, the collective announced that it was "giving up" on organising 'La Boum Test.'
"We throw in the towel in the face of so much incomprehension and hatred, after all that we have sacrificed for the cause," the collective said. "It has finally finished us, despite all our efforts. L'Abîme is done, long live La Boum!"
The event was set to be a "test event," and the collective asked people to get tested for Covid-19 on their arrival at the Bois de la Cambre as well as five days after the event, to try to demonstrate that these outdoor events with young people have little impact on the spread of the virus.
Both the fake festival announced as "La Boum" on 1 April and "La Boum 2," organised by L'Abîme to protest the coronavirus measures on 1 May, resulted in hours of clashes between partygoers and the police.
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The organisation behind "La Boum 3" applied for authorisation, but was refused by the City of Brussels and the Brussels police, as the event did "not meet the conditions," they said.
It remains to be seen, however, whether people will actually show up in the park today, despite the message from the collective, according to spokesperson for the Brussels-Ixelles police Ilse Van de keere, who said that the police was preparing for possible riots.
"We are providing personnel to be present at all activities on our territory," she told Bruzz. "Of course, everything also depends on the weather, but it is difficult to predict what is coming today."
Additionally, the 'World Wide Demonstration for Freedom,' a demonstration in which protesters "walk, sing and dance through the streets of the woods" is still expected to take place in Bois de la Cambre today, separate from La Boum.
However, no application for authorisation was made for that demonstration, according to the police.
