The regional government of Brussels transformed the pedestrian area and crossing between the European Commission and European Council as a message to EU governments to be more inclusive of LGBT community | Ryan Heath
Brussels trolls national governments for LGBT pride
What a coincidence! Or maybe it’s a cunning communications plan.
The EU had an anti-homophobia rainbow painted onto its front doorstep overnight: a subtle hint from its host government, the Brussels Region, that some EU countries are not doing enough to protect their LGBT populations.
The decoration — which will be permanent according to Playbook’s Brussels government source — fills part of the streetscape between the European Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters and the Brussels base of EU national governments, the Justus Lipsius building.
The artwork is one element of Brussels’ annual infusion of rainbow-themed decorations, ahead of next week’s International Day Against Homophobia and Brussels Pride running through May 20.
Under the guidance of Brussels mobility minister Pascal Smet and Els Ampe, the Brussels council alderman for mobility, several pedestrian crossings in the gay neighborhood in the Brussels city center have been transformed in a similar fashion, though on a temporary basis.
Malta, which is the current president of the Council of the European Union, has lent its support to the message. Neil Kerr, a Maltese diplomat of ambassador rank, was among the staff celebrating the arrival of the artwork today.