Thousands are reported to have taken to the streets in Ghent over the weekend at demonstrations in which Gaza activists repeatedly chanted “Viva viva intifada”—that is, praising violent attacks against Israel. City Liberal Mayor Mathias De Clercq is understood to have taken part in the protest, prompting anger from the local Jewish population.
Belgian campaign group Stop Antisemitism complained that “we have the feeling that the politicians do not care about our situation.”
It added that Jewish residents are so fearful of activist activities that even the most devout “do not dare to walk around with their kippah,” while others are considering leaving the city altogether.
The Jews of Ghent are in shock and are afraid … It is UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES possible to be visibly Jewish in Ghent, without fear of being attacked on the street.
Noodkreet van joodse Gentenaar
Een grootschalig protest in Gent, waarbij meerdere malen door een grote menige te mensen is uitgeroepen voor een "intifada". De Gentse joden zijn in schok en zijn angstig. Er is zelfs sprake om de stad uit angst van gevaar te verlaten. Het is ONDER… pic.twitter.com/xRds8Aq6ML
— Stop Antisemitisme (@s_antisemitisme) May 25, 2025
Belgian philosopher Maarten Boudry also said following the demonstrations that one Jewish student whom he knows from the University of Ghent “scratched the Star of David off his laptop and is terrified.”
More than 100 students occupied the university this time last year in what is reported to have been the first European protest fusing the Gaza and climate issues. Shortly after, officials at the institution appeared to buckle under pressure and severed all ties with Israeli universities.
Fears about being visibly Jewish are not exclusive to Belgium, never mind Ghent. A French rabbi was attacked in broad daylight while returning home from synagogue with his nine-year-old son in March. And a report by the Campaign Against Antisemitism found in January that half of Britain’s Jews have considered leaving the country over the past year, citing anti-Jewish hatred.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
