Leuven - EU transport ministers' meeting

15 September 2001

On Sept. 15 more then 300 people joyfully liberated the town centre of Leuven, Belgium, from cars, in a succesful Reclaim the Streets. Anarchists carried a banner stating "Capitalism = Terrorism".

Locals responded enthusiastically. Police limited themselves to guarding the EU ministers of transport, using horses and two water-cannon vans. The ministers had moved to a different location for their meeting at the last minute. The Belgian chairing minister, being from the green party, wanted to avoid a confrontation with the anticapitalists.

The anarchist social centre, made a statement describing the alienating role of the car: "Who has any real influence over her own life? 'My car, my freedom' has democraticised a dream, the American dream or the workers dream of an own house, garden and car..., an all-dominating dream. But the number of awakened will steadily grow with polarisation of society and the dream will reveal itself as a fata morgana - the deceit! - in a destroyed desert of barbarism populated by completely alienated and frightened (white) individualists!"

kids in sandpit on M41
RTS home
Updated 26 October 2001