Activists from left-wing parties and trade unions, members of the social movement Coalition May 8, held a mass rally on Sunday at the former military base at Fort Breendonk near to Antwerp, where a Nazi camp was located during World War II. They are "for" the idea of May 8 being a public holiday to celebrate the victory over fascism, to remind people of the crimes of the Nazis and thus combat the growing popularity of far-right and Eurosceptic parties. The rally was broadcast on the website of the Coalition on May 8.
"Our coalition unites public organizations, representatives of the cultural and scientific community. We call for May 8 to become a holiday again to preserve our historical memory and say our “no”. extreme right“, said Ellen De Soet, head of the Coalition on May 8.
Under the sound of bagpipes, the participants of the action presented flowers to the Fort Breendonk memorial complex.
„We will continue, even in often hostile conditions, to be the main activists calling for vigilance (regarding the far right), and so we join actions that aim to do so“ The day is a celebration and a day of living memory“, said the president of the Belgian Labor Federation (FGTB) Thierry Bodson.
Currently commemorations are being held in Belgium on 8 May to mark the end of the Second World War in the European theater of operations, but this day is neither a day off nor a public holiday. On May 9, Europe Day is celebrated here - the anniversary of the Declaration of French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman. Schumann proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) on 9 May 1950, which began the process of European integration that led to the emergence of the current European Union.