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Oct 7 Brussels: Reclaim the Streets celebrates migrants day of action

imcistas | 07.10.2006 16:11 | Migration

In Brussels, the Oct 7 action day for migrants rights was celebrated by several demos, one of them a Reclaim the Streets party, another one by sans papiers from Congo - Congolese against Borders.

The party people stated in their call: In a world where everything needs to be authorised, where public space is privatised and controlled, where nothing can happen anymore... let's take our instruments, our disguises, our knowledge of partying, good food and the granny (if she is nice)... and let-s take back the street for a wild and spontaneous party.

Here is a quick report from that party.

For more check CeMAB in [fr]: timeline | report | call from the new squat


We received reports by phone from Brussels in the afternoon, there was a lot of shouting and music in the background.

"About 300 people were dancing in the sunshine and playing music to the sounds of a Samba band and some trumpets, as well as a solar powered sound system."

"Police has been blocking everything and everyone on every possible side, there were 300 or 400 of them. People are now turning back, and moving back towards the police lines again. There were no arrests, only bit of provocation, not much."

"There has been teargas, two seconds ago, I don't know how they are able to continue playing music."

"They just opened a new squat. Now people are hanging banners out of the windows."

... a while later:

"Police closed everyone in. There is nobody left on the pavement. People can go inside and outside the squat, which is at one of the major roads in Brussels. This road is now blocked by the police, they still have their water canons. The clowns army is out as well. Belgium police is a bit confused by them. The first floor of the squat still smells of teargas."

imcistas

Additions

It went smoothly. [until …]

07.10.2006 19:04


In addition to the report up there, i'd like to emphasis that the afternoon went pretty smoothly [ see link for picture report ], i would even say it slowly if taking to account that the street-party started somhow one hour late and people were very quite. Despite of totally exagerated police forces blocking the streets there was no notable incident.
Only later, at the end of the afternoon, after many people left and a group opened a new squat there has been report of hassles, teargaz [ some mentioning 'pepperspray' while almost never used in Belgium ].

 http://www.indymedia.be/fr/node/4711

timothee redkitten
mail e-mail: redkitten@indymedia.be
- Homepage: http://www.indymedia.be/fr/node/4711


Clarification

08.10.2006 10:11

A little correction:
Police closed everyone in, on the pavement towards the end, so the traffic could pass there again.

Further i'd like to specify that some peppersprays contain teargas, they're all lachrymatory agents, and i don't want them to be used.

A day later, with a little hangover, I can honestly say that I'm glad and happy how things finally ended. Not happy that we didnt had the chance to fully follow the itinerary, not happy about little provocations and the lachrymatory agent, but after all, it was joyful and now there is a new place to host people and activities. Also the people without papers that were on the rts, didn't got arrested and blahblah, it was nice.

imcista


Comments

Display the following 2 comments

  1. pfff — was there
  2. peppperspray — was there