Introduction
Belgium makes history by becoming the first European nation to classify ecocide as a crime
On 22nd February 2024, Belgium became the first European country to classify ecocide, i.e. particularly serious forms of environmental destruction, as a crime in its criminal code. Decision-makers and companies who commit such environmental violations can now face up to 20 years in prison for individuals or fines of up to EUR 1.6 million for corporations. While experts have criticised the adopted law as “toothless” in its current form, it is widely seen as an effective message to the international community that there is an urgent need to criminalise large-scale environmental destruction. The Belgian initiative joins broader efforts to establish the most serious environmental harms as criminal acts on the global stage, including advocating for the recognition of ecocide alongside genocide at the International Criminal Court.
Flemish municipalities withdraw citizenship from children of Palestinian parents
In a controversial move, several Flemish municipalities in Belgium have revoked the Belgian citizenship of children born in Belgium to Palestinian parents, continuing a practice that the Federal Ombudsman declared illegal in February. In the midst of the unrest in the Gaza Strip, this decision has plunged the families concerned into uncertainty and despair, as the withdrawal of the children’s citizenship also undermines their residence status and social benefits.
Freedom of Assembly
Law criminalising “malicious attack on the authority of the State”
In December, following opposition by trade unions and human rights groups, one coalition member withdrew its support for what has been called the “anti-rioters” bill. This proposal would have allowed judges to impose a temporary general prohibition on participation in public assemblies as a complementary penalty on people convicted of protest-related criminal offences (see previous CIVICUS update).
However, after abandoning that proposition, a new article was proposed among a series of reforms to the Penal Code which also potentially puts the right to protest at risk.
The new article 547 of the Penal Code reads: “A malicious attack on the authority of the State consists in maliciously and publicly undermining the binding force of the law or rights or the authority of constitutional institutions, by directly provoking disobedience to a law, causing a serious and real threat to national security, public health or morality”. It is punishable by community work, fines, probation, confiscation or a maximum of 3 years of imprisonment, depending on the law that has been broken.
The Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights criticised the bill on multiple accounts, and over 500 academics, trade union members, lawyers and citizens published an open letter in a national newspaper calling for a withdrawal of the proposal, calling it “antidemocratic, dangerous and unnecessary”. According to them, what lies behind this article is the possibility for the State and judges to criminalise civil disobedience or even calls for civil disobedience. Despite the guarantees that the text should not be applied to social protests and civil disobedience, national observers remain concerned and point to the little added value to the existing legal framework. When the article was discussed in Parliament, a small number of members of civil society organisations and trade unions, including the director of the League for Human Rights, protested inside the public gallery of the Chamber of Representatives against it.
The law was enacted on 29th February 2024 and will enter into force on 9th April 2026.
Farmers’ protests reach Brussels
On 26th February 2024, around 900 tractors, driven by farmers from across Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium, blocked central Brussels. A handful of tractors breached police barriers, causing police to retreat. Protesters clashed with riot police, sprayed liquid manure on them, and set tyres on fire. Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden called for the identification of "rioters" who inflicted harm or ignored police commands, emphasising that while the right to protest is valued, it must be exercised respectfully, as stated in her post on X.
On 1st February 2024, farmers ignited fires outside the European Parliament in Brussels. This display of discontent coincided with an EU summit where European leaders, acknowledging the farmers' grievances, extended both praise and preliminary promises of relief, although concrete proposals were limited.
In addition to protesting in Brussels, on 13th February 2024, farmers with about 500 tractors significantly disrupted operations at the port of Antwerp, Europe's second-largest port. The demonstration has halted freight deliveries and pickups.
The protests are part of a broader wave of actions across major European countries, driven by concerns over falling prices, rising costs and stringent EU directives. In response to the unrest, the European Commission has paused certain environmental measures, such as cutting pesticide use, attempting to address the farmers' grievances. Amid these widespread disruptions and the looming EU parliamentary elections in June, European leaders expressed a desire to address the farmers' concerns, with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo advocating for dialogue.
Anti-austerity protests in Brussels
On 12th March 2024, approximately 2,000 people took to the streets of Brussels to protest against planned austerity measures. Trade union leaders gave speeches in front of the European Council, voicing strong opposition to proposed EU economic governance rules linked to the European Union's (EU) Stability and Growth Pact. The adoption of these new economic governance rules would compel Belgium to implement unprecedented public spending cuts amounting to €30 billion, potentially leading to higher unemployment rates, reduced wages, and weakened public services across the country.
Earlier, on 12th December 2023, approximately 15,000 individuals, including trade unionists and members of various political parties from around 30 countries, rallied in Brussels to voice their opposition against the impending austerity measures. This earlier demonstration coincided with an EU leaders' summit discussing reforms to the EU's economic governance rules. The Stability and Growth Pact was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic but is anticipated to be enforced again in the following year.
Pro-Palestine protests
In late 2023 and early 2024, Belgium saw several pro-Palestinian rallies.
On 22nd October 2023, thousands gathered in front of the EU institutions in Brussels to demand a ceasefire, marking the first major pro-Palestinian protest in Belgium since the Hamas-Israeli war broke out.
On 6th November 2023, a pro-Palestinian rally was held in Brussels. The crowd chanted slogans such as "Cease-fire Now," "Boycott Israel," and "Free Palestine," and waved Palestinian flags. Protesters criticised both the European Union and the United States for what they see as complicity in the actions of Israel.
On 11th November 2023, approximately 21,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Brussels. The peaceful demonstration was marked by calls for "Free Palestine" and an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Participants displayed messages condemning violence and calling for human rights for Palestinians, including calls for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes.
On 10th December 2023, in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, demonstrators rallied in front of the municipal building to observe the United Nations' Human Rights Day, calling for an immediate cessation of the ongoing conflict and urging the global community to intervene.
On 21st January 2024, thousands marched through Brussels demanding an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the intense bombings in Gaza. The demonstration occurred ahead of meetings scheduled for the next day, where EU foreign ministers, alongside their counterparts from Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, planned to discuss the war in Gaza.
On 17 March 2024, 7.500 people marched from the North station to the South station to show their support fpr Palestinians and call for an end to the 'genocide' by the Israeli military. They called on Belgian authorities to perform an embargo on Israel. The action was organised by Amnesty International, the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking '11.11.11' platform, the Belgian-Palestinian Association, the socialist trade union, the Christian Worker Movement, and the Union of Progressive Jews of Belgium.
Marches against racism and antisemitism
On 24th March 2024, several thousand people marched in Brussels against racism, discrimination, and the far right's stances on both matters. The event was an initiative of Step Against Racism and many civil society organisations participated, as well as pro-Palestine activists.
On 10th December 2023, approximately 4,000 people gathered in Brussels to protest against antisemitism. The peaceful rally emerged amid growing concerns within Belgium's Jewish community regarding the increase in antisemitic incidents across Europe following the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Demonstrators at the rally brandished Belgian flags and showcased banners with messages such as "You don't have to be Jewish to march against antisemitism" and "Jewish joy is resistance".
Greenpeace protests against nuclear energy
On 21st March 2024, at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels, Greenpeace staged a protest against nuclear energy. An activist suspended above the press area unveiled a banner that read “Nuclear, fairytale,” targeting the summit attended by 40 international delegations. The action occurred before the arrival of the attendees.
“Europe must not give in to the lobbies of the nuclear industry and the French government, which are seeking funds to finance ‘new nuclear’. Greenpeace denounces the lack of credibility of the nuclear revival, the costs, and the deadlines of this phantasmagorical project,” said Greenpeace in response to online news media Euractiv’s coverage on X.
Climate actions
On 3rd December 2024, approximately 20,000 environmentalists marched through central Brussels calling for urgent measures against the climate crisis during the UN climate change conference (COP28) climate talks taking place in Dubai. Amidst the sea of demonstrators, various signs were visible, articulating messages like "Climate crisis is human rights crisis," "Break free from fossil fuels," and "Policy change not climate change". The protest also saw solidarity for Palestine, with participants waving Palestinian flags.
On 16th December 2023, hundreds of environmental activists tried to access and occupy the Antwerp airport in Deurne to denounce the use of private jets and their impact on the environment. Police arrested 535 people in and around the airport, among which was a Green MP and the President of the Human Rights League of Belgium. He denounced the lack of legal basis for his arrest. Most activists were arrested before they even reached the site of the protest. Simultaneously, a similar action was unfolding at the Airport of Liege, where 600 “Code Red” activists blocked Alibaba's operations. Around 200 activists who had entered the e-commerce giant's warehouse were evacuated by the police, sometimes with force. The next day, a new protest was held to support the campaign and to denounce the police violence that occurred during it. After these events, protesters lodged a complaint with the Committee P (the Standing Police Monitoring Committee, the “police of the police”) for police violence. Several activists claim to have been injured during police intervention in the Code Rouge operation.
Women’s Day demonstrations
On International Women's Day, 8th March 2024, several demonstrations and events highlighted the call for gender equality and the fight against discrimination in Belgium. In Brussels, approximately 15,000 marched through the city organised by the Collecti.e.f 8 maars, emphasising the need for women's rights and gender minority protections. Protesters carried banners advocating for gender equality and criticising systemic failures in addressing gender-based violence and discrimination. Among the specific demands was the call for total decriminalisation of voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) in Belgium, with activists advocating for easier access to safe and legal abortion services.
In Liège, a feminist cycloparade brought together 850 participants. This year the event focused on economic violence against women, with personal testimonies underscoring the challenges faced by those trying to escape abusive relationships.
Solidarity demonstration for detained Burundian journalist
On 26th December 2023, Amnesty International activists and several Burundian journalists gathered in front of the Embassy of Burundi in Brussels to demand the liberation of the journalist Floriane Irangabiye currently detained in Burundi. The protesters denounced her imprisonment as arbitrary.
Freedom of Association
Pro-Palestinian communications under heightened scrutiny
In October 2023, Minister of Culture Jan Jambon requested his administration to inspect the communications of two organisations on the basis of a 2017 decree on subsidies, conditioning them on the respect of the principles and rules of democracy and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The two organisations are GetBasic, the organisation behind the citizen journalism platform DeWereldMorgen, and Vrede vzw (translated to Peace), an organisation working on peace and international politics. These organisations had both published statements related to the situation in Gaza.
On 6th November 2023, the report found no shortcomings and that if the published articles can be “sharp, critical and polemical” they do not “call for hatred, violence or discrimination in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and therefore are not hate crimes in the strict sense.
Despite these reports, the Minister expressed that he wanted to keep these organisations under “heightened scrutiny” for a while, in part because the two organisations' communications are “on the cutting edge.” A little later in his response, Jambon also spoke of the use of “fake news.” This was strongly criticised by the opposition and the organisations involved.
Freedom of Expression
Police raid news channel after pro-Palestinian news conference
In March 2024, the offices of ZIN TV were inspected by the police in Jette. The previous October, the media outlet had agreed to host a conference on “the criminalisation of Palestinian voices in the European Union” organised by Samidoun. Samidoun is a solidarity network for Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel, authorised in Belgium. The police officers entered the offices of ZIN TV, which employs several professional journalists, and asked to see the organisation's financial transactions and a list of members. A worker considered this event as “political intimidation,” noting he’s finding it “more and more complicated to be able to express oneself with nuance and complexity on the situation in Palestine, without being accused of apologising for terrorism or making anti-Semitic remarks.”
University faces criticism over controversial far-right event
On 28th February 2024, KU Leuven, Belgium’s oldest university, hosted an event featuring a well-known Holocaust denier on its campus, citing the university's commitment to the principle of freedom of expression. Despite nearly 1,000 signatures from students and staff protesting the event, arguing that it violated the university's inclusion charter, the event went ahead as planned.
Former Vlaams Belang MP Dries Van Langenhove, a prominent far-right figure who was sentenced to a year in prison for Holocaust denial and inciting violence in March 2024, had been slated to discuss regenerative agriculture. However, he quickly shifted gears, delving into racist, sexist, and "anti-woke" rhetoric. During the lecture, Van Langenhove portrayed colonialism positively and made discriminatory remarks targeting various groups, including the Roma community and non-European migrants.
Following backlash over the decision to platform the former MP, KU Leuven took action by prohibiting the organising group, the Nationalist Student Association (NSV), from utilising university facilities until the end of 2025. Additionally, the university filed a criminal complaint against Van Langenhove for inciting racism.
EU’s highest court rules headscarf ban for public servants not discriminatory
In November 2023, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that EU member states can ban the display of religious symbols by public sector employees. This ruling stemmed from a case involving a Belgian municipal worker who challenged her employer's directive against wearing a hijab. After the woman decided to pursue legal action, the municipality enacted a new policy banning the display of all religious or ideological symbols. Uncertain whether this neutrality condition constituted discrimination under EU law, the Labour Court in Liège referred the case to the ECJ.
The Court clarified that member states have a margin of discretion in determining the extent of workplace neutrality they wish to enforce, suggesting that public administrations could alternatively opt to permit visible religious, political or philosophical symbols. Moreover, the court emphasised that restrictions should be confined to what is strictly necessary.