De Brouckèreplein was used in 2021 for eight private events. In 2022, that number will rise to twelve events during the first eleven months. Too much, says MR councilor David Weytsman.
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Since the pedestrian zone was created, the City of Brussels has received more and more requests to use De Brouckèreplein for events of different sizes and styles.
In 2021, for example, the square became the backdrop for the BRIFF film festival or for the ‘Korean Days’ or for the Winter Wonders ice rink. A total of eight events were held last year.
The leader of the MR party in the city council, David Weytsman, does not like that. Because he had the impression that the square is increasingly used for such events, he asked the council for figures.
Those figures seem to confirm his impression. At the end of November 2022, 12 similar events have already been registered. “This form of privatization is no exception, it has been introduced regularly since 2017 to enable access control, body searches or handbag checks,” the college said in a response.
Economic Damage
David Weytsman, however, is not convinced. “I advocate that this square remains open and accessible to everyone,” said the liberal. “I do not want it to be closed in the future. The Belgians must have free access to it. These closures send a bad signal, they impede access for local residents and cause economic damage to the surrounding companies.”
“The priority for this square should be to clean, maintain and beautify it, not close it down. The De Brouckèreplein must be an open space where people can come together. I ask the PS and Ecolo very specifically to ensure that events like this can no longer take place under these circumstances.”
This article is originally published on bruzz.be.
