Thousand-strong march in Brussels for change in migrant policy

About 1,000 people took to the streets of Brussels on Thursday carrying coffins in a mock funeral procession to mourn the deaths of thousands of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The organisers of the march, which started at Place de la Liberté and ended in Brussels’ Schuman district, are calling on European leaders to prepare a large-scale rescue operation and to create safe access routes to Europe, reports De Standaard.

The march is an initiative of Amnesty International, CIRÉ and Flemish Refugee Action. Among those present were the employees of numerous European institutions and NGOs, as well as Belgian human rights organisations and politicians. According to the Brussels police, a total of about 1,000 people joined the march.

At the end of the march, participants gathered in the Schuman district where EU leaders were attending yesterday’s specially convened summit on the issue.