1,000 in joint protest against US and Belgian immigration policies

About 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside the American embassy in Brussels on Sunday to protest against the immigration policies of US President Donald Trump and Theo Francken, Belgium's Secretary of State for Asylum and Immigration.

"I cried when Trump was elected," said Aissa Missaoui, one of the organisers of the event, said. "I cried for all who will suffer from his tyrannical politics: Muslims, immigrants, people of African descent, homosexuals.

"When Trump signed his 'Muslim ban', my sadness was even greater. We have only heard silence or pious wishes, while at home people were prevented from flying to the United States because of their name or their appearance."

Missaoui said: "Our politicians (in Belgium) are no better", pointing to "the law passed this week that allows people born here to be banned from the country purely on suspicion of committing a crime. This law creates first- and second-class citizens because of a name, a skin colour, an appearance."