<nettime> Brussels : demonstration against NATO

[Monica Walsh/Guy Stuckens <infomam@skynet.be>]

BRUSSELS - 3 april 1999 - DEMONSTRATION AGAINST NATO

A demonstration in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels to ‘celebrate'
50 years of NATO had been planned for several weeks by a group of
anti-militarist, anti-imperialist and left-wing organisations. The group
had adopted as its slogan "50 years of NATO = 20 million war victims,
youth encircle NATO to defend peace".

With NATO's current military action in Yugoslavia, this demonstration took
on another aspect.

Braving the ban imposed by the city's authorities to hold any
demonstration in front of NATO headquarters, a few hundred demonstrators
tried to have their voice heard.  An impressive show of police prevented
them acting. About 100 arrests took place.  One of the organisers of the
demonstration is now in hospital suffering from concussion.

Journalists were not spared either.  A journalist from the Flemish daily
"De Morgen" was arrested, a photographer from the Belga Press Agency had
the film ripped out of his camera and television crews were prevented from
filming, etc.

It is noteworthy that the day before the incident, Friday 2 April, the
Belgian and Dutch women's group "Women in black" was also arrested for
trying to demonstrate in front of NATO.

In brief, it is not advisable to protest, even peacefully, against NATO
and particularly against its current military action in Yugoslavia.

Guy Stuckens Radio Air Libre, Brussels (Belgium)

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