Management of Covid-19: in Belgium, the world of culture is in the streets

Audio 01:18

A sign referring to a canceled performance during the demonstration in Brussels on Sunday, December 26, 2021. Belgian artists, cinema operators, event planners and others gathered to protest against the government's decision to shut down the country's cultural life to stem the spread of the mutant Omicron.

AP - Virginia Mayo

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Since this Sunday, December 26 and for an indefinite period, indoor shows and activities are closed in Belgium.

Theaters, cinemas, circuses or concert halls started the sling and many decided not to comply.

The world of culture took to the streets in Brussels to denounce "

 a death warrant 

" for their sector.

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With our correspondent in Brussels,

Pierre Benazet

"

 Let's stop the madness, the corona tyranny, long live the culture and the music industry!"

 “For Willy Vander Biest, the red line has been crossed.

Marie-Odile Dupuis came from Brabant to demonstrate, and she does not intend to close her place of reception for the live performance.

We will remain open, we continue, and we will put a cordon sanitaire of people in front of the theater if necessary to prevent the police from intervening.

In any case, for the first time, we feel that beyond the artists, today the public is there too.

For the past two days, people have been reserving from all sides.

It means that people realize that if culture falls, there is a part of society that collapses and it is dangerous

Among the crowd, the musicians are heard like Benoît Vanden Bemden, double bass player who has already canceled two baroque concerts.

On my sign I wrote "unfair, incomprehensible, indecent, disproportionate, incompetent. It is our feeling in relation to the decisions of the government, which decided the closure of theaters and events. It is incomprehensible. It is no is not at all what was put on the table by scientists

The sling of culture unsettles the authorities and in Brussels, the mayors have decided not to ask the police to check whether the shows have actually closed their doors.

►To reread: Rumors of rebellion in the world of Belgian culture in the face of restrictions

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