Brussels is not the backyard of the United States
Celebrating an allied country is one thing. Privatizing the Parc du Cinquantenaire, a symbol of Belgian independence, for a display of United States power is something else entirely.
At a time when the Trump administration is multiplying attacks against the European Union, climate policies, democratic institutions, and European interests, this staging in the very heart of Brussels sends the wrong signal from Belgium and from Europe.
War in the Middle East. Trade pressure against the European Union. An offensive against climate policies. Repeated attacks on democratic institutions. It was in this context that Brussels' Cinquantenaire Park was privatized for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The Cinquantenaire is one of the symbols of Belgian independence. Never before had a foreign state celebrated its national day by appropriating a site so emblematic of Belgium.
To secure the event, a major police operation was deployed: dogs, motorcycles, vans, helicopters... Meanwhile, the people of Brussels were denied access to their park and its fountain in the middle of a heatwave, while also enduring the noise pollution caused by the fireworks display.
Yet beyond these inconveniences, it is above all the symbolic significance of this event that raises important questions.
As Volt Belgium, we are not, in principle, opposed to the celebration of an allied country’s national day in our capital, especially as we share common values with many American citizens. However, we believe that, regardless of which country is concerned, such celebrations should not take place in locations that symbolize our sovereignty and independence.
Moreover, while we are grateful to the United States, in particular for its decisive contribution to the defeat of fascism during the Second World War, as well as for eight decades of transatlantic partnership that have largely served our shared interests, this recognition should not lead us to ignore recent developments in American policy under the presidency of Donald Trump. These changes make it difficult to reconcile the holding of such a celebration in the heart of Brussels with the values upheld by Belgium and the European Union, as well as with their strategic interests.
On the level of values, Belgium had no reason to display such indulgence toward a government whose policies challenge the rule of law, weaken climate commitments, and favour a confrontational approach to international relations. The attacks on judicial independence, the pressure exerted on press freedom, and the assault on the Capitol should have led the Belgian authorities to exercise greater restraint.
Beyond these differences in values, a series of recent initiatives by the American administration directly undermines European strategic interests: the unilateral imposition of tariffs on the European Union, the energy crisis triggered by the war in Iran, territorial claims over Greenland, not to mention explicit support for extremist parties in Europe. All of these signals should have constituted a red line, especially as policies of appeasement toward Donald Trump have historically proven of limited effectiveness.
The observed excesses have not been limited to the symbolic dimension of the event. Two European journalists covering the festivities were removed from the site by Belgian police at the request of the American ambassador Bill White, according to multiple consistent accounts, after he reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with their questions. This episode raises a fundamental question: Belgium must remain the guarantor of press freedom on its territory, regardless of any pressure exerted by a foreign authority.
As Volt Belgium, we express our full solidarity with the journalists concerned, call for the opening of an investigation into the intervention of the Belgian police, and urge the Belgian government, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Council to unequivocally condemn these violations of press freedom.
Belgium is a sovereign state. Brussels is the capital of the European Union. The Cinquantenaire Park is not intended to serve as a backdrop for a display of power by a foreign state, especially when that state adopts policies that run counter to the values defended by Belgium and the European Union or undermine their strategic interests. In the context of these commemorations, the presence of so many of our leaders—from the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola to the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, including the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever—as well as their silence and passivity to date, is profoundly indecent.
This sequence of events reinforces the perception of an imbalance in which Brussels and, beyond it, the European Union give the impression of accepting a form of subordination to the United States. Europe should instead reduce its military, digital, and energy dependencies in order to fully assert its strategic autonomy, and this requires strengthening its political unity. More than ever, the construction of a genuine European Federation appears to be the condition for real strategic autonomy, the only framework capable of ensuring our security, prosperity, and sovereignty in the long term.