City of Antwerp refuses permit for anti-Islam march

Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever (pictured) has rejected a request by the Belgian anti-Islam movement Pegida Vlaanderen (formerly called Vlativa) to stage a march on Monday in the city. A counter demonstration by the organisation Hart boven hard has also been banned.

The new Belgian anti-Islam organisation, inspired by Germany’s Pegida, applied for a permit to hold a march on 26 January in protest at what it sees as the growing influence of Islam in Belgium.

But police advised the mayor to ban the march due to the heightened terror threat, following the shooting of two terrorist in Verviers earlier this month. “In the current context, both demonstrations pose a risk to public safety and would require a large police presence,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. “This is why the police advised against allowing the demonstrations to take place, and the mayor has followed that advice.”

But the two organisations insist that the demonstrations will go ahead at some time in the future. “Even if the demonstration doesn’t take place until the terror alert threat has been lowered, we intend to protest,” said Wim Van Rooy of Pegida Vlaanderen in an interview with VRT.

Meanwhile, Hart boven hard has a called on its supporters to protest using social media platforms on Monday. “We remain concerned about a movement that calls into question our inter-cultural society,” the organisation said. It plans a march in Brussels on 29 March, according to its website.

photo by Frederik Buyckx/De Standaard