ANTWERP – Followers of right wing party Vlaams Belang gathered on Thursday evening to protest the construction of a new mosque in the Antwerp district of Deurne. Police say about 150 people with banners and protest signs gathered at the Boterlaarbaan, the planned site for the mosque, at about 7.30 pm last night.
The protestors’ message was loud and clear as expressed by prominent VB member Filip Dewinter. He shouted slogans like “Adapt or go back where you came from” through a megaphone. The protest is part of a larger campaign started by the VB a few weeks ago calling for a stop to the “further Islamisation of Antwerp.” Banners with the slogans “Keep Europe European” and “Keep Muslims out” were carried as well.