Note: On February 5th, a protest is scheduled in Brussels

The Center for Geostrategic Studies spoke with protest organizers about the upcoming event

Sarah Melis, spokesperson for the organization "Together for Freedom" from Belgium, is in the organizing committee of the protest scheduled for February 5 in Brussels.

The interview was conducted by Patrick Poppel, an expert from the Center for Geostrategic Studies from Austria

Photo: Sara Melis at a protest in Brussels

Why are you going to protest in Brussels?

Brussels is known as the capital of Europe, also the city where the European Union is housed. We want to show that Europe is its people, not just the institution that does not represent us anymore.

What are the specific reasons for your protest?

This is the most important question of all. Our first big topic is the impending introduction of a digital, programmable euro. We have seen in previous years how quickly governments are resorting to an exception that makes fundamental rights and freedoms conditional. The complete digitalization of money will entail enormous risks. It gives the government way too much power. A power that we cannot entrust to it, since the same politicians who have repeatedly told us proven lies, turned populations against each other and taken away our fundamental rights are still in charge today. A start to win back some of that trust would be to include cash as a means of payment in the constitution. In 1830 there was no question of digitalization of money, today it is necessary.

The second item on the agenda is inflation. Inflation is felt today by the middle class, workers, and the financially weaker people. We all give in, and that's the fault of governments' policies. This is the result of years of money creation. Europe has enough money when it comes to implementing certain agenda items such as energy transition and war in Ukraine. Social redistribution is not a priority. This is a debate that urgently needs to be conducted on the merits, and not left to lobby organizations, such as the WEF, that do not have the interests of the average citizen in mind.

A third point is to look at a "solution" to the conflict in Ukraine, with peace in mind. Every casualty is one too many, but the American arms industry sets the agenda of the European Union. Von Der Leyen likes to talk war language, while diplomacy costs less money and especially fewer victims. Again, a Utopia of the elite was more important to her than what is actually the result.

To conclude, the European Union has not promoted European solidarity at all, it has only eroded it by serving only the agenda of lobbyists and not invoking common values and interests.

We want a change in current policy. The European Union has no democratic support for their policies. That has to change. Whether the European Union can still reform itself or has to disappear will depend on the course they take.

How do you see the current protest culture in other EU countries? How will this develop?

I think that as long as the policies will not change and as long as there won´t be a more democratic and transparent reorganization, and it´s maybe even naïve to think this could happen, more people will be changing their attitude towards the EU in a critical way and start joining the movement that has emerged these last years. At the moment we see big protests against the high energy prices, against the digital euro, against the vaccination damages and so much more in Western Europe. Although mainstream media ignores this completely, it also does give us hope. It is time to work together across the borders and take Europe from the elite, to give it back to its people.

What impact will protests have on election results? Will the opposition parties reach more sections of the population in the future?

We have seen the results in Italy, maybe we will see this in other countries as well. It will depend on circumstances in each country and on how ‘democratic’ the system still is. In our own country I believe the national parties in the federal government will reach a terrible result, because of these last years of policies although the mainstream media tries their best to stop this from happening.

Here they have a history that when they lose elections, they quickly go for a ´promotion´ in the European Union. Just like Charles Michel, Guy Verhofstadt, Karel De Gucht and many more did. These were politicians that were voted out by the people in previous elections. Then they easily go for a retirement home in Brussels.

In general, I think the most important thing is to start a movement among the people first, outside of the political system. This way we can open people’s eyes to the lies of the media and make the group of dissident voices grow. This is a battle we have to fight on many fronts if we want to win.

February 2, 2023