More than 250 activists formed a ‘Shame on Bush’ human chain in front of the U.S. embassy in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 23 to protest the Bush’s handling of the Katrina disaster and the war on Iraq. A statement from the organizers, the coalition StopUSA, said the demonstrators, “Wanted to symbolically encircle the U.S. embassy - as the peace movement in the United States is preparing to encircle the White House on Saturday, Sept. 24 - in protest against the war on Iraq and against the Bush administration’s attitude in the Katrina disaster.”

A ‘giant’ depicting Bush in full battle gear was the favorite target of the protesters. Messages of solidarity and thanks from the U.S. anti-war movements were read to protesters, to loud applause. Among the speakers at the rally were Professor Lieven De Cauter (Brussells Tribunal), with an Open Letter to Bush; Pol De Vos (StopUSA); Carla Goffy (Christian Movement for Peace) and Katrien Demuynck (Iniciativa Cuba Socialista). Among the co-organizers of the rally was Vrede/Peace, while people from other third world solidarity, social and migrant organizations attended as well.