Posted in

Antwerp to introduce extra security measures for Pride amid safety concerns

by Timothy••0

The City of Antwerp has promised additional security measures for this year’s Antwerp Pride following concerns raised by both far-right party Vlaams Belang and far-left party PVDA over recent incidents targeting LGBTQIA+ events and last year’s controversy surrounding a far-right counter-demonstration.

The issue was discussed during Monday’s city council meeting, where councillors pointed to separate incidents that they believe highlight potential security risks for the annual festival.

Vlaams Belang councillor Sam Van Rooy referred to several recent incidents in Brussels. During Brussels Pride in May, three festival performers were reportedly attacked in a homophobic incident after their performance. He also cited the vandalism of 15 banners promoting the LGBTQIA+ choral festival Various Voices, which were slashed several weeks later.

Van Rooy said that, given what he described as increasing anti-LGBTQ+ hostility, vandalism, aggression, and violence, he wanted to know whether security measures for Antwerp Pride would be strengthened this year.

PVDA councillor Ben Van Duppen focused on events during Antwerp Pride 2025, when the far-right organisation Voorpost was authorised by the city to stage a demonstration along the route of the Pride Parade.

The group displayed a banner stating that there are only two sexes. In response, queer activists gathered nearby with Pride flags and protest signs, attempting to shield parade participants from the message. The situation escalated when police intervened, eventually leading to the administrative detention of 17 counter-demonstrators.

Following the incident, Antwerp Pride organisers said they regretted the situation and stated that a similar scenario should not be repeated in future editions.

Debate over potential counter-demonstrations

Van Duppen urged Mayor Els van Doesburg of the N-VA party to prevent any future counter-demonstration by Voorpost from taking place directly along the Pride route.

He argued that when demonstrations by the nationalist student organisation NSV are held, police generally only permit counter-protests elsewhere in the city rather than allowing opposing groups to confront one another directly. He questioned why Voorpost had been allowed to demonstrate along the parade route.

Van Doesburg responded that no application for a demonstration by Voorpost had yet been submitted for this year’s Pride. She said it made little sense to speculate about hypothetical situations and stressed that police and city services would carry out a risk assessment for any demonstration request received.

For operational reasons, she declined to provide details about the planned police deployment but confirmed that additional measures would be taken to ensure public safety during this year’s festivities.

Speaking to local broadcaster ATV, the mayor said Antwerp Pride had become a permanent fixture on the city’s events calendar and attracted growing numbers of visitors every year. She noted that Antwerp had already implemented heightened security measures for several years, largely because visitor numbers continued to rise and Pride sometimes coincided with other major events in the city.

She added that August is an especially busy period for events in Antwerp and that authorities therefore remain particularly vigilant. Van Doesburg also said she hoped unnecessary tension would not be created around a possible demonstration for which no formal request had yet been submitted.

Political disagreement

The debate also exposed wider political differences over the issue.

Van Rooy argued that PVDA was wrongly attempting to associate Voorpost with violence, insisting that no violence had occurred during last year’s demonstration. He said his concerns centred on vandalism and violence directed at LGBTQIA+ people rather than freedom of expression.

Van Duppen responded that he had no objection to Voorpost expressing its views, however objectionable he considered them, but maintained that such demonstrations should not be allowed directly alongside the Pride route.

Antwerp Pride will take place from 5 to 9 August, with the annual Pride Parade scheduled for Saturday 8 August. Police are expected to maintain both visible and covert security operations throughout the event, with additional measures planned to accommodate growing attendance and address potential safety concerns.

Antwerp Pride 2026

Antwerp Queer Arts Festival 2025

Beyond Darklands 2027

The latest on LGBTQIA+ events such as prides in Belgium

🇧🇪 Blogger, keen vexillologist, train conductor NMBS/SNCB, traveller, F1 follower, friend of Dorothy.

Leave a Reply

To respond on your own website, enter the URL of your response which should contain a link to this post's permalink URL. Your response will then appear (possibly after moderation) on this page. Want to update or remove your response? Update or delete your post and re-enter your post's URL again. (Find out more about Webmentions.)

Discover more from Sidetrack

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading