'No culture, no future': Belgian arts community protests virus rules

A woman holds a banner reading "Silence please" during a demonstration against the Belgian government's restrictions imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus disease in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Reuters

Thousands of Belgian arts performers, cinema operators, event organisers and others joined together recently to protest the government’s decision to close down the country’s cultural life to stem the spread of the surging omicron variant.

Waving posters reading "The show must go on" or "No culture, no future,” the crowd demonstrated peacefully despite the pouring rain, accusing the government of unfairly targeting the culture industry with the new virus restrictions.