Thousands form human chain in Brussels as Belgium's home-search bill nears vote

Protests across Belgium

On the evening of 4 November 2026, demonstrators gathered in more than 50 Belgian towns and cities against a bill on home searches, which the campaign called 'No ICE in Belgium'. Gatherings in front of town halls began at 18:00, and one RTBF report put the number of localities at more than 55. The largest crowd was in Brussels, where people formed a human chain around the Palais de Justice, a 19th-century building inaugurated in 1883 that measures 186 by 177 metres. Participants stood five to six rows deep in places, behind tape reading 'Stop home searches', despite cold and wind. Reported figures for the Brussels crowd differ: RTBF's headline said 3,000, 7sur7 wrote of several thousand, and VRT NWS of thousands.

Brussels, Palais de Justice (RTBF headline)3,000

Liège, town hall (RTBF)450

Namur, town hall (more than 400, La Libre)400

Brussels, Palais de Justice (RTBF headline)

3000 people

Liège, town hall (RTBF)

450 people

Namur, town hall (more than 400, La Libre)

400 people

Data from the article text

Crowds elsewhere were smaller but still large. In Namur, more than 400 people gathered at the town hall, according to La Libre. In Liège, about 450 people assembled behind the town hall, where speakers from several groups, including the Ligue des droits humains, addressed the crowd.

What the bill would allow

The bill, submitted by Asylum and Migration minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) and Justice minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), would let police work with the Immigration Office (DVZ) to enter the suspected residence of a person who ignored an order to leave Belgian territory, and then detain that person administratively. Entry is only possible where that person poses a threat to public order or national security. Accounts differ on who must approve each entry: one says an investigating judge, another says a justice of the peace (vrederechter). The text targets people in irregular stay who refuse to cooperate with their return.

The Chamber is due to vote on the bill on 5 November. Lucie Boclinville, a member of the No ICE Namur collective, said she remained wary but hoped the political climate would work in the protesters' favour. She pointed to disagreements inside the federal government over the budget, which she said could bring down the executive before the vote takes place.

“We are still rather wary, but we still hope that this will work in our favour.”

Criticism from lawyers and aid groups

Lawyer Ivan Ficher, 46, joined the human chain in his gown and argued that the bill poses a real danger to fundamental rights and sidelines the role of the investigating judge. He described it as symbolic legislation from right-wing parties seeking to please their voters. Thomas Willekens of Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen said the turnout showed that people still disagree with the government.

“This large turnout in Brussels shows that there are still people who disagree with the government.”

The organisation sent an open letter to parliamentary group leaders on 4 November, urging MPs to reject the bill. Willekens called the law vague, superfluous and harmful to society.

“The law is vaguely worded, superfluous and harmful to our society.”

Protesters object most to the undefined terms public order and national security. In Liège, activists also criticised the notion of public order disturbance, which they fear could be interpreted arbitrarily, and rejected linking people without papers to crime. They also warned that police visits to homes of people who host undocumented residents could criminalise hospitality.

A testimony from Liège

At the Liège rally, a speaker recounted an arrest in Liège in September 2024 of a woman. According to the speaker, two police officers entered the house without permission and took the woman away at the request of the Immigration Office. The speaker said the seriously ill woman was moved to the Holsbeek closed centre and kept without her medical treatment for four days, and was released a week after her arrest. These claims come from the speaker's account of the case.

What comes next

The Chamber is scheduled to vote on the bill on 5 November, the day after the mass protests. Organisers asked MPs in their open letter to vote against the text. Whether the federal budget dispute affects the timing of the vote remains open, as Boclinville suggested.