At least 14,000 attend second Grand Parade in Brussels

The Grand Parade organised by grassroots political movements Hart Boven Hard and Tout Autre Chose on Sunday drew at least 14,000 people to the Brussels canal zone, according to Brusselnieuws. The aim of the parade through the capital was to draw attention to the plight of refugees in Belgium, the hole in the budget and proposed alternatives to the current government's austerity measures.

While police put this year's turnout at 14,000, organisers claimed 25,000 people took to the streets. The first Grand Parade last year saw about 20,000 people take part.

The initiators chose to put refugee organisations at the head of this edition of the Grand Parade. "The first thing we ask is to provide the refugees with decent shelter," says Wouter Hillaert of Hart Boven Hard.

Joining the parade were numerous organisations, including 11.11.11, Greenpeace, Oxfam World, Federation for a Better Environment, Community Development, various trade unions, Femma, Okra, umbrella organisations for arts and cultural centres, Anti Poverty Network and Sustainable Consumption Network.