Belgium
Manifiesta 2023
Manifiesta 2023: 15,000 voices amplify call for solidarity and hope

Close to 15,000 people attended Manifiesta 2023, drawing inspiration from international struggles and solidarity. Speakers from diverse sectors emphasized the concrete experiences in building socialism

Manifiesta to kick off a new political year for the left in Belgium and Europe

Thousands are gathering in Ostend for Manifiesta, the fest of solidarity on September 9-10. The program is shaped to address pressing topics such as workplace rights of health personnel and the climate crisis, while also emphasizing the significance of feminism, anti-imperialism, peace advocacy, and solidarity with the Palestinian struggle and the Cuban Revolution

8-06 Belgian protests
Progressives in Belgium protest lenient verdict to fraternity members accused of ragging student to death

Sanda Dia, a Belgo-Mauritanian student, died during a violent hazing (ragging) incident in 2018 which involved forced alcohol consumption, torture, and harassment. Those convicted of the murder have been asked to do community service and pay fines

20-05 Anti-protest bill - Belgium
Left parties and unions in Belgium take a stand against bill to ban ‘rioters’ from protests

The Belgian government is proposing a parliamentary bill which seeks to ban ‘rioters’ from taking part in protests. Trade unions and leftist parties such as the Workers’ Party of Belgium say that the bill could be used to target their members and other activists by branding them as rioters

Belgian city of Liege boycotts Israel
Belgium city of Liege becomes latest European city to sever ties with Israel 

The resolution in the Liege city council, introduced by the left-wing Workers’ Party, calls for the suspension of ties with Israel until its apartheid regime puts an “end to the system of violations of the rights of the Palestinian people and fully respects the obligations imposed by international law and various United Nations resolutions”

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks & war crimes | Peter Mertens meets Stella Assange

Peter Mertens of the Workers’ Party of Belgium spoke to Stella Assange ahead of the four year anniversary of the unjust imprisonment of Julian Assange

22-03 Anti-racism Day 1
Progressives in Belgium mark International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Anti-racism groups demanded an end to racial discrimination and police violence and asked that refugees be treated with dignity

Progressives in Belgium demand extension of time period allowed for abortion

In response to increasing misogyny and restrictions on reproductive rights, groups within Belgium are pushing back demanding that abortion be allowed within 18 weeks from conception

Workers Protest - Belgium
Massive rally in Brussels demands refinancing and more staff in health and non-profit sectors

Back-to-back crises and the government’s insensitive policies have worsened work conditions in public health and other non-profit sectors in Belgium

Protest in Belgium
Progressives in Belgium protest detention of migrants

Left-wing parties have urged the Belgian government to close down the migrant detention centers across the county and to release the incarcerated migrants

Interview - Comac Belgium 1
Sander Claessens: ‘We defend a socialist society where people and the planet come first’

The president of the Comac student movement in Belgium spoke to Peoples Dispatch about organizing students and youth to fight against oppression and injustice

Teachers Protest - Belgium 1
Massive demonstration by educators in Belgium for better working conditions in schools 

Insensitivity of the authorities towards the pressing needs of educators amid the ongoing cost of living crisis has worsened working conditions in schools across Belgium