European ‘freedom convoy’ arrives in Brussels to protest against Covid rules

Hundreds of protesters walked into Brussels on foot as their vehicles were barred from entering the city

Demonstrators protesting against Covid restrictions as part of ‘European Freedom Convoy 2022’ wait in a car park in Brussels (REUETRS)

Some 500 cars and campervans, mainly from France, have arrived in Brussels in a convoy to protest against coronavirus restrictions.

After being barred from entering central areas in their vehicles, police directed them to a parking area on the outskirts of the city, from where the protesters continued on foot to the square housing European Union institutions.

Reuters reporters saw around 15 to 200 protesters in the city centre and a similar number in the European quarter.

Mayor Philippe Close told Belgian LN24 television the protest, inspired by “Freedom Convoy” demonstrators who have gridlocked the Canadian capital with trucks, had no permit from the Brussels authorities, no leader and had made no demands.

Philippe, a French protester from the city of Valenciennes who had earlier protested in Paris, told reporters that pandemic restrictions were only part of his issue with the EU.

“I came particularly for our children’s future,” he said. “I don’t see how my children can live in the world as it is now. Freedom is swept aside, there’s more and more poverty. Even when you work, when the 15th of the month comes round, you haven’t got enough to live on.”

He said he was also protesting against the rise in energy prices and the cost of living.

A protest convoy breached police defences and drove into central Paris on Saturday, snarling traffic around the Arc de Triomphe and on the Champs-Elysees.

Canadian police on Sunday cleared protesters who had blocked North America’s busiest trade link.

Protests began in January with Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers. They have have now become a rallying point against broader Covid-19 curbs and other issues.

An Israeli protest convoy drove along the main highway linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Monday.

Reuters