Extinction Rebellion responds to the misleading and defamatory statements made by Mourad Maimouni and Philippe Close
Extinction Rebellion responds to the misleading and defamatory statements made by Mourad Maimouni (Team Fouad Ahidar-Bxl+) and Philippe Close, Mayor of Brussels, during the municipal council meeting of May 18, where the celebration organized by the United States Embassy at the Cinquantenaire Park on June 28 was discussed. This discussion, opened with clarity and legitimacy by Benedetta de Marte (Ecolo-Groen), led to a misleading, paternalistic, and shocking line of argumentation that compels us to speak out.
An unprecedented historical fact that no one wants to acknowledge
On June 28th, the American Embassy will privatize the Cinquantenaire Park to celebrate the 4th of July, their national holiday. Fireworks, metal detectors, a live performance from Nile Rodgers – the works. All of this in the heart of Europe, one of the strongest political symbols in Belgium, closed off to the people of Brussels.
This has never happened before. Never in the entire history of Belgium has a foreign state celebrated its national holiday by appropriating this public space. Not France. Not Germany. Not Russia. No one.
At the municipal council meeting on May 18th, Benedetta De Marte (Ecolo-Groen) opened this debate with clarity and legitimacy. The response she received—from Philippe Close, Mayor of Brussels, and Mourad Maimouni (Team Fouad Ahidar-Bxl+)—was a mixture of bad faith, paternalism, and in Mr. Maimouni’s case, words so serious that they force us to name them publicly.
The argument doesn’t hold water
Philippe Close tried to make the event seem like business as usual. He said Brussels hosts "about thirty events" each year related to, and for, non-Belgian communities. That’s absolutely true, and something to be celebrated, but there’s a problem with the Ambassador’s party that Close refuses to see.
These events are largely open to the public. They are festivals, popular celebrations, and cultural events accessible to everyone. No foreign government has gone as far as to privatize one of the largest parks in Brussels entirely for themselves.
And what’s more – the Ambassador doesn’t even want other Americans to be there.
Extinction Rebellion has been working closely with the American community in Brussels, and across the dozens of US citizens we’re working with – we have yet to meet one who’s been invited.
What this ceremony really represents
Mr. Maimouni repeated several times that this celebration is not "Trump’s birthday party,” but that of a country, a nation, and a people.
Well, most Americans in Belgium won’t be there. But let’s entertain his argument with a hypothetical. Why don’t we celebrate the Russian national day at the Cinquantenaire? Or Saudi Arabia? Or what about Turkey or Morocco – two major communities present in Brussels?
If these celebrations were strictly about culture and “the people” - then nothing justifies this special treatment from the Mayor. So why is the US so special?
The answer, uncomfortable for the Mayor as it is, is that these celebrations have always been shaped by politics. In our case, major American military contractors are afraid to be shut out of European markets as Europe scrambles to arm itself, and Bill White wants to make nice with right-wing Belgian political elites and heads of industry.
This party has never been about the average US citizen, nor American culture at large. In fact, it seems the only way to be invited is to be just as fond of Donald Trump as the US ambassador.
This is the nuance that the Mayor refuses to acknowledge – that he’s agreed to host a celebration of the Trump administration in the heart of Europe, where the majority of the American community will not be present, at a time where the United States is terrorizing its own citizens with ICE, destroying climate regulations, kidnapping presidents (Venezuela), supporting acts of genocide (Israel) and starting wars (Iran).
So much for "One Nation. Under God".
Mr. Maimouni’s words: a red line crossed
What happened next goes beyond mere political disagreement.
Mr. Maimouni described our comrades from Gaia — who are calling for a ban on fireworks to protect the park’s wildlife — as "woke bourgeoie".
Diction that says quite a lot about his views.
He then claimed that Extinction Rebellion endangered "the safety of all Brussels residents". This accusation is defamatory. Our organization is pacifist and nonviolent, an established and indisputable fact. That Mr. Maimouni issues his "opinion" without any basis says a lot about the quality of his argumentation.
But the worst comment came later. In an obscene and irresponsible comparison, Mr. Maimouni drew a parallel between our protest against this event, and a hypothetical ban on the commemoration of the Holocaust because of Netanyahu’s actions.
This comparison is shocking and shameful. It exploits the memory of the victims of the Holocaust to neutralize any political criticism. It deliberately confuses — or reveals a staggering misunderstanding — the difference between commemorating victims of a genocide, and measured criticism of a specific government administration. The two could not be more different.
This is not clumsiness. It is an attempt to intimidate by implicit accusation of antisemitism.
His colleagues tried to silence him, reminding him that the scene was being filmed. They were right to do so. We will not be silent.
A fundamental ecological question
This struggle is not only symbolic; it is deeply, concretely ecological.
The Cinquantenaire Park is one of the few large green spaces in the city center of Brussels. Philippe Close recognizes it himself, describing it as "a real green lung". In a city ravaged by heat waves, pollution and soil sealing, these spaces have become infrastructure for survival — for humans as well as for other living species.
And what does the commune do with this place? They privatize it. They secure it. They partially close it. There is a massive event being held — noise, fireworks, and considerable logistical pressure — to celebrate the state that has played the most destructive role in the global expansion of fossil-fuel production, mass consumerism, and organized climate sabotage.
The symbol is dizzying. Every day, citizens are asked to reduce their emissions, change their behavior, and accept restrictions. And at the same time, the power most responsible for climate disaster is offered a triumphal stage in a public, green European space.
This is not a contradiction. This is a demonstration: ecological struggles are worthless when they conflict with geopolitical interests.
Brussels had a choice
Brussels could have said no.
No to the privatization of a public space for a foreign state. No to the diplomatic instrumentalization of the strongest symbol of the European capital. No to the triumphal staging of a power, committed to accelerating climate disaster.
They chose differently.
History will record that in 2026, when far-right governments were coming to power across the world, and our window to avoid irreversible climate catastrophe was narrowing, Brussels offered its most beautiful space, its image, and its symbolic legitimacy – to those organizing our collective destruction.
The people of Brussels never had a say, and were not invited.
Brussels Environment still has the power to prevent this. We call on them to fulfill their responsibility to the natural world, and the residents of this city, by standing with us against this celebration.
JOIN US: LEGAL PROTEST ON JUNE 28
On the evening of the event, Extinction Rebellion will be joining a peaceful and legal protest in front of the Cinquantenaire Park organized by Indivisible Belgium.
To all those who refuse to see their capital offered up on a silver platter to a government that destroys the world—join us! Together, we’ll make sure Brussels hears what the Mayor wants to keep quiet.
PETITION: https://xrb.link/p3x8LGe9
Extinction Rebellion Belgium, May 2026
