Third Bruges Klimaatmars with 50 participants a flop: We shout at least as loud

Bruges The third Bruges klimaatmars turned out to be a flop. Barely fifty people left the comfort of 't Zand to the Burg and back. Is the hype over or it is not enough to Wednesday afternoon, many school-aged youth to get? “It is a bit of a guess at the reason for the low turnout, but let us not be discouraged," says organizer Tatyana Decelle (17).

Nothing was left to chance on Wednesday afternoons. There was a small stage prepared in ‘t Zand, there sounded the roaring beats and the Bruges police had a handful of men called to the mars in order to expire. Only...there was hardly any people. The klimaatjongeren were this time easy to count. Already a luck that there is a delegation from Ghent had come down, or mars, was probably not continued.

“I fear myself a little bit", says Tatyana Decelle of Youth for Climate Bruges. “We do however have some advertising on Facebook and Instagram, but you never know what you can ultimately expect. We are very grateful that there are people show, but it makes a bit of a difference if you are in large numbers, such as the first time, or with 50 like now.”

more actions scheduled

The first Bruges klimaatmars took place on a Wednesday afternoon. When attracted around 1,500 people. A month later, on 15 march, attracted 500 young people off to Bruges to policy makers to highlight the klimaatdossier. “And yet I don't think that the wind around this theme is to lie,” adds Tara James. “It is on the agenda of many political parties for the upcoming Flemish and federal elections.” A real explanation for the poor turnout had the organisers not. “But let us not be discouraged and are planning even more actions, especially in the run-up to the elections”, says Tatyana Decelle.

all the More so because the young people but little response in Bruges. For their action on Wednesday, took them under more Brugs ships and member of parliament Franky Demon (CD&V) on the grain, because he is not in favour of a binding climate law. “The action is not only directed towards him, but to all decision-makers”, says Decelle. “We have during the first klimaatmars a bundle needs to be delivered to the Bruges city council. They then promised to do something. A little later we got a reply back with all the measures they had already taken. But also with the message that there is no low Brugge and that household will not be free. Actually, there was nothing concrete in that answer. We are not happy.”

To get it a little form to give drew 50 activists hand in hand in a long snaking line through the city. As they appeared still more...