ManiFiesta 2024 - Speech by Raoul Hedebouw, president of the PVDA-PTB

Do you know how extraordinary that is? Building an entire festival that showcases the world as it should be? Where else do you see shop assistants, metalworkers from the car industry, dockers, waste collectors, teachers, nurses and doctors, artists, students, senior citizens and young people from all walks of life having a drink, celebrating and debating together? Where else do you see this? And all this organised by thousands of volunteers?

We should be very proud. I would like to start this afternoon with a warm round of applause for all our volunteers! 

ManiFiesta, dear comrades, is a moment to fill up on hope. To breathe in this warmth and fighting spirit. We're certainly going to need it in the months ahead. Especially if we look at the plans of the parties lining up to form a new federal government together: the so-called "Arizona" coalition. With Bart De Wever's N-VA, Georges-Louis Bouchez's MR, the Flemish socialists of Vooruit, CD&V and Les Engagés. 

These parties spent all summer negotiating. A few weeks ago, their plans were unveiled. You may have heard of Bart De Wever's "super note". There's nothing "super" at all about this note. 

It is an all-out attack on the working class as a whole. Against our social and democratic rights. It not only represents billions of euros in cuts to our pensions and social security. But it's also an attack on our wages, working hours and all the forms of solidarity that exist today. This note is a comprehensive plan tailor-made for the big corporations that are part of Voka and FEB. 

There's a purpose behind all the measures that Bart De Wever, Georges-Louis Bouchez and co. want to push through. It all stems from a clear vision of society. They seek to divide the working class and pit us against each other. 

Sick workers against healthy workers. Unemployed workers against employed workers. Workers who achieved a full career, against workers - mostly women - who are unable to do so. Private sector workers against public sector workers. Workers born in Belgium against workers born elsewhere. 

They want to divide and isolate us. So that we end up on our own.

Alone to face our bosses. Alone with our low salaries, juggling flexi-jobs just to get by. Alone with impossible work schedules. Alone in the face of illness and unaffordable private insurance. They want to isolate us to weaken us. 

But look around, ManiFiesta. Will they succeed? I don't think so!

Unity. Diversity. Solidarity. That's what I see here. What we're doing here today is Bart De Wever's and Georges-Louis Bouchez's nightmare. 

And they know it: our unity and solidarity can give rise to a huge force. It's easy to break a finger, but not a fist. Together, we can put an end to these anti-social measures and impose change. We're going to put a stop to the Arizona project. The first step in stopping them is to expose their plans and lies. Here are a few examples:

They promised lower taxes. But what do we get? They seek to increase VAT on essential goods from 6% to 9%, and to raise excise duty on fuel.

They promised to better reward work. But what do we get? They're attacking wage indexation, they want to reduce bonuses for night work, and they want to impose lower pensions and longer careers. 

They talk about respect for workers. But what do we get? They want to do away with the rules that protect our working time. They want to do away with the 8 hour day and the 38 hour week. They want us to work without limits. And for us to be subjected to our employers' whims. 

The Arizona project is a project against the working class. Pure and simple. What they claim to give with one hand, through their tax reform, they take back with the other, and often much more.

Take wage indexation for instance. De Wever, Bouchez and co. want to adapt the index calculation so that when the price of petrol rises, our wages don't follow proportionally. 

The big bosses are rubbing their hands with glee. They have already calculated how much such a change in the index would bring on. If this measure had been implemented as early as 2022, we would already have lost up to 2% in pay rises. That's huge! That means that with a 2% reduction in wage indexation, the average worker could lose up to €50,000 over the course of his or her career. 50,000 euros! 

The removal of bonuses for night work between 8 p.m. and midnight is another of their proposals. Who works nights? Nurses, factory workers on shifts, firefighters, logistics and security workers... And so on and so forth.

For example, I received a message from Lisa, who is a psychiatric nurse. "Raoul, I work from 9 pm to 7 am. I love my job, but night shifts are exhausting. If we work 10 hours and sleep part of the day, we miss out on a lot of our family life. I have breakfast when the kids are having their dinner. I'm not there to say goodnight to them or watch TV together before they fall asleep. It's a real sacrifice, and now we're supposed to lose part of our night shift bonus?" We calculated it : as a result of the Arizona project, Lisa would lose around €370 gross per month. Not to mention the loss it represents in end-of-year bonuses and holiday pay.

They also plan to introduce a ‘pension malus’. They want to penalise people who retire before the age of 66, or soon 67. 

"Like Maria, for example, who has been working as a textile worker for over 30 years. It's hard work. If she decides to retire at 62, she risks losing 300 euros per month because of the Arizona parties." And Maria isn't the only one. As many as 7 out of 10 women stand to lose hundreds of euros as a result of this scheme.

Is this how you want to show respect for the work of Lisa, Maria and millions of other workers in this country, Mr De Wever and Mr Bouchez? How dare you claim to want to reward those who work more? Meanwhile Conner Rousseau, Maxime Prévot and the CD&V are also backing the project...

In fact, the Arizona parties are coming down hard on working men and women. 

And their project seemed well underway. They met for weeks to finalize it. And the mood appeared to be upbeat. 

"Guys, we're making good progress. The elections are over. The time has come. "We're going to raise VAT, save on pensions, change the index, limit bonuses for night work", it just went on and on.

Until someone at the negotiating table says: "Hold on a minute, guys, we have a problem. "What is it? "There are new elections coming up on October 13th. "No kidding"! Blimey, we hadn't thought of that! "Our project was great, but we can't implement it now. Or else no one will vote for us on October 13th."

And then someone had a stroke of genius: "What if we put things on hold until October 13th? We put everything on hold for a while, and once people have voted, we put it all back on the table. Isn't that a great idea? "Perfect, let's go with that! "And so the mainstream parties hit the pause button. And they thought people were too stupid to see through it. 

Dear N-VA, Vooruit, CD&V, MR and Les Engagés, do you really think we don't see what's going on? That all this is just a sham, and that you're going to bring back your anti-social measures after the elections of October 13th?

Let's put a stop to the Arizona project. We don't want it paused, we want it stopped. That's why today we're launching the www.stoparizona.be petition. Sign it and get people around you to sign it. 

The fight to put a stop to Arizona starts now, and we will not be beat.

The municipal elections on October 13th will also be an important opportunity to make our voice heard and send a clear message to the Arizona parties. To vote PVDA-PTB on 13 October is to say clearly: we've already paid. We're not going to give in. We want to go in another direction: a social direction. 

Our ambitions are just as great in the municipal elections. 

We were among the winners in the June elections. Today, we are the fourth largest party in the country. Yes, the fourth! And in some municipalities, we're the third, second or even first party. We are popular with workers and young people. We are the party of hope.

Twelve years ago, we made a breakthrough in the big cities: Brussels, Antwerp, Liège

and Charleroi.

Six years ago, we had our breakthroughs in the country's provincial capitals and major cities:

Ghent, Namur, Leuven, Hasselt, Mechelen, Turnhout, Sint-Niklaas, Verviers.

And on October 13th, we want to continue to grow and expand into other towns and cities. We aim to have our first elected representatives in communes like Mouscron, Boom, Courtrai, Aalst, Etterbeek, Jette, Tubize, Sambreville and many others. 

We want to double the number of elected representatives, and the number of municipalities in which we govern. We are aiming to increase our number of elected representatives from 150 to 300, and to be represented in more than 70 local councils across the country. To strengthen and anchor the PVDA-PTB ever more firmly locally. 

We're also running in the provincial elections. This means that on October 13th, you will be able to vote for the PVDA-PTB almost anywhere in the country.

These are important elections, because a fundamental debate is taking place at a local level. There is a struggle in all of our towns and cities over who gets to hold the keys to the cities' development. Will it be the big developers and real estate groups, whose aim is to attract wealthy people? Or do we hand the keys to the population? By choosing a policy for and with local residents. 

We will always be on their side. To defend the right to the city, against a neoliberal vision. To defend the right to affordable, quality housing. The right to affordable, accessible mobility. The right to local public services in every neighbourhood. The right to a dignified life, free from poverty. All these rights are starkly opposed to the interests of the big real estate groups, who only build luxury apartments. They are starkly opposed to the policies that seek to privatize our nursing homes and cut investment in our public services. 

I don't know if you've looked for a house recently. Many young people here will surely be familiar with this. You go on Immoweb.ou're full of optimism, to find an apartment or a house. To get started in life. 

Before you come across a property that actually fits your budget, you'll have to sift through countless offers for new property developments. Here's an example: a new property development project in Brussels, at Tour & Taxis. It's called Park Lane, an English name for added effect. This is what the ad says: 

Park Lane is green living in the canal district, close to the city centre!

Nice, isn't it? Sounds appealing. Right. How much is it? 

450,000 euros for a two-bedroom apartment. 450,000 euros. But that's not all! 

The advert states: 

Each apartment comes with a bicycle shed.

"That's right, you're paying half a million for a two-bedroom flat, but... it includes a bike shed!"

What's this bike shed made of? Diamonds? 

This is absurd. And yet real estate websites are full of these kinds of ads. 

While property developers are grabbing everything, the government refuses to invest in affordable social housing. Waiting lists are getting longer and longer. We want to put the right to housing back at the top of the agenda. We want developers to be legally required to provide at least one third affordable housing and one third social housing in every major construction project. 

A city for the people also means quality public transport. It means investing in nursing homes for the elderly and sufficient public childcare facilities. It means fighting poverty and putting people's needs first. Voting for the PVDA-PTB on October 13th means voting for a city for the people, where life is good. 

While we're on the subject of municipal elections, I must mention one city in particular. Bart De Wever's own home town. During the last elections we became the second largest party, just behind N-VA. The cradle of Vlaams Belang; the city where we defeated the far right on 9 June. I want to talk to you about Antwerp. 

Since the June elections, it has become clear: Bart De Wever has a real challenger for the municipal elections. On the docks, among young people and in working-class neighbourhoods: our program unites and gives people who want a different kind of politics hope and enthusiasm. On October 13th, the choice will be clear: six more years with Bart De Wever, or a social policy with the PVDA-PTB. At last. As Chairman, I'm proud that we're leading this fight in Antwerp with our frontrunner, Jos D'Haese.

This choice is not limited to Antwerp. In Zelzate too, we want to continue governing. We also aim to rise to power in towns like Vilvoorde and Genk. 

And in Brussels too, the capital of Europe, we'll do our utmost to win majorities in a number of municipalities, including Saint-Gilles, Molenbeek and Forest.

In Wallonia, we intend to be a force to be reckoned with in major cities such as Liège and Charleroi, whilst we will also seek to force majorities for change in municipasuch as Seraing, Herstal and Mouscron Because we don't want MR's and Les Engagés's austerity policies at a local level.

Being part of majorities for change could help to anchor the party and to show at local level that there are alternatives. 

Of course, all of this will only be possible if we are able to establish a sufficient balance of power. 

Do you also want a city for the people? Join the social wave. In the municipal elections too, we're campaigning bottom up, together with you. 

In June, over 20,000 people campaigned for the PVDA-PTB. In October, we want to do even better. The more of us there are, the stronger we'll be. With your help, the PVDA-PTB will be one of the winners in the municipal elections. Together, let's impose change!

Comrades, I've been talking about hope for some time now. I'm talking about solidarity. About resistance. Three concepts that make more sense than ever a few thousand kilometres from here. 

I refer, of course, to the genocide in Gaza. As my comrade Peter Mertens rightly said, this is not a war. This is genocide. 

Everyone sees the terrible images. A father in tears over the death of his newborn twins, killed as he was about to register their birth. Little children with amputated legs. Hunger and disease. And recently, a new polio epidemic, which can leave children paralyzed for the rest of their lives. Bombs continue to rain down on the Palestinian people. There's no end in sight. The apartheid state of Israel continues its criminal politics. 

Yes, it's genocide. Neighbourhood after neighbourhood, school after school, hospital after hospital. 

There's a lot of talk, but no action. Because no matter what Israel does, its allies, those who fund its army, give it free rein.

For months, the United States has been talking about a ‘ceasefire agreement’. But at the same time, they are sending $20 billion worth of weapons to Israel. Weapons used to murder Palestinians, bombs dropped on the homes of terrified families. How dare the United States speak of "peace"? The United States is actively contributing to the genocide in Gaza. That's the sad truth.

But don't be fooled into thinking that things are any different among European governments, and even here in Belgium. After eleven months of bloodshed, our governments have yet to take any serious action. The Belgian government has not imposed an arms embargo. They did not put an end to the impunity of the Israeli government.

Israel commits genocide against Palestine. And when I see you all here, I'm sure you feel the same anger as I do. You too have seen the images and read the headlines that have shocked you to the core. You may also have at times felt powerless or hopeless. Because we're up against major powers.

But remember this: all over the world, people have taken to the streets and continue to do so. Also in Belgium. Today, and in the weeks ahead. People who have never demonstrated before, are standing up, and are determined to stand firm. These people know that we must act now to stop this genocide. 

This is how the Vietnam War was brought to an end in the 1960s and 1970s. This is how the apartheid regime in South Africa was brought to an end in the 1980s and 1990s. And it is how we'll finally put an end to Israel's massacre and to its colonial policy.

Free, free Palestine!

As the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich put it: "We suffer from an incurable disease called hope. Hope for liberation and independence. Hope for a normal life in whwe are neither heroes nor victims. Hope that our children will go to school safely. Hope that our poets will see the beauty of the colour red in roses rather than in blood. Hope that this land will regain its original name: land of love and peace. Thank you for carrying the burden of that hope with us."

I wish you, dear friends, dear comrades, to carry this hope forward together, here and everywhere. 

Thank you, ManiFiesta.