Antwerp - Belgium: Europe and the Arabs
Hundreds of residents of the city of Antwerp, northern Belgium, participated in a stand in solidarity with the victims of the Moroccan earthquake, which resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries. The protest, which took place on Monday afternoon, was attended by a number of Belgian citizens, along with Moroccans and people of other nationalities, who gathered in the largest square, which is the “Grand Market” square. Also present were the mayor of the city, Bart de Wever, the Antwerp Municipal Council, the Minister of Development Cooperation, Caroline Jennes, and the Moroccan Ambassador, Youssef El Amrani. And also the Consul General in Antwerp, along with a number of party and parliamentary figures and representatives of associations, social, humanitarian, religious and other organizations. The event received significant media coverage.
The Antwerp Cathedral sounded the music of the Moroccan national anthem, then everyone stood for a minute of silence, and then
“The huge turnout here proves that Moroccan society is still close-knit, wherever people are in the world,” said Mayor De Wever. “Morocco is a strong country, with a community and mutual solidarity that we can sometimes envy. Moreover, the best in people comes out in difficult moments.
And Mayor De Wever announced that the city of Antwerp had allocated 20,000 euros for the affected area. It was announced that the Moroccan flag would be raised hanging upside down, and an opportunity would be given to everyone to stand in front of the flag in a minute of silence. The Moroccan ambassador also thanked the organizers of the endowment and also thanked all Belgians from the federal and regional governments for their support. The solidarity they showed praised the relations between the two countries
Sheikh Noureddine Al-Taweel, one of the most prominent religious figures in Antwerp, said that this is a historic stand in the city where Moroccans have lived for half a century. We deserve this stand and our hearts are with the people of Morocco. We are soldiers recruited to support those affected. They have homes for them, while preparing roads and infrastructure, and there must be long-term solutions
A Belgian woman said in statements to the “Europe and the Arabs” website that she came to show her solidarity with the Moroccan community that was greatly affected by this tragedy. She praised the initiative that called for organizing this initiative and for everyone to stand together to show solidarity. A young Moroccan named Riad, in his late twenties, who attended this gathering, said, “We thank you.” All the countries that took the initiative to provide assistance and a national stance to the Moroccan communities, we pray for mercy for the dead, and we wish recovery for the deceased.” Another young man named Karim, who accompanied his two children to the site of the vigil, said, “It is a good thing that this solidarity vigil was organized, but he was hoping that larger numbers would come, similar to the vigils that followed.” Football matches. He noted that he brought his children with him because they have a close relationship with Morocco, and I found them living in Morocco, 400 km away from the earthquake site, and that the children know very well what happened in Morocco and are following up on the matter with him.”
A Belgian journalist named Karen said in statements to the “Europe and Arabs” website: “It is a wonderful sight to find this large gathering of Belgians, Moroccans and other nationalities, which confirms solidarity.”