ManiFiesta 2025: United, Building Power Together
ManiFiesta, the great solidarity festival organized annually since 2010 by the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB – PVDA), once again transformed the Ostend seafront into a space of unity, hope, and action.
Over 15,000 people attended this year, filling the festival grounds. Despite the typical autumn rain and chilly North Sea winds, the Wellington Hippodrome buzzed with life — as one participant put it, “we carry our sun within.”
The EL Family at ManiFiesta
ManiFiesta has become a traditional stop on the summer-autumn political festival calendar for the Party of the European Left (EL). This marked the third festival in a row we attended, ahead of our upcoming participation at Fiesta, the festival of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in Madrid.
At ManiFiesta, EL once again set up its tent — a space not only to showcase our campaigns, achievements, and goals, but also to connect directly with festival participants. These conversations are essential: they allow us to listen, receive feedback, and exchange ideas with people from Belgium and far beyond.
We were proud to share the space with our member party PCE, represented by José Luis Centella, EL’s Vice-President. Our stand quickly became a lively meeting point for our extended EL family: we had the pleasure of welcoming Ines Schwerdtner, co-chair of Die Linke in Germany; Sira Rego, Minister of Youth and Children from Izquierda Unida in Spain; Mark Botenga, Member of the European Parliament from PTB-PVDA in Belgium; and Giorgos Karatsioubanis from Néa Aristerá in Greece. We were also glad to be joined by colleagues from Sinistra Italiana Brussels branch and by our political foundation, transform! europe.
The presence of so many allies made the festival a true moment of European connection. As one comrade at the stand put it: “We are not here just to hand out leaflets — we are here to build bonds of solidarity that will last well beyond the festival grounds.”
Putting Housing on the Agenda
We came to ManiFiesta to advance urgent political struggles — especially the fight for the right to housing. On Sunday, our international campaign “Housing is not a privilege, it is a right” was the focus of a powerful debate. Speakers raised the alarm about Europe’s deepening housing crisis: between 2020 and 2023, average rents jumped by 22%. Nearly 11% of Europeans suffer from energy poverty, unable to heat their homes, while 17% live in overcrowded conditions.
Walter Baier, President of the European Left, reminded the audience: “Housing policy must not manage poverty — it must prevent it. Housing is a fundamental human right, not a commodity. This requires changes at the European, national, and municipal levels, and our campaign is about turning this conviction into concrete political change across Europe. For that, we organize and mobilize.”
Françoise De Smedt, head of the PTB group in the Brussels Parliament, stressed that: “We need to move housing as far as possible out of the logic of the private market. Public authorities must play an active role, both in regulating rents and in building social housing, to ensure that everyone has access to affordable homes. Housing is not a commodity — it is a right.”
Enrique Villalobos, from the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations of Madrid, shared a grassroots perspective: “No one wants to be evicted out of their home or their neighbourhood. Housing must be a right, not a business. When we are united and organized, we are stronger — and we can win. And if we do this together, at the European level, we can amplify our struggles and make real change.”
Niklas Schenker, Die Linke MP, underlined solidarity across borders: “In Berlin, housing is the central battleground in the class struggle. We need a housing market that serves people, not corporations. That’s why we are fighting for a rent cap and the socialisation of large landlords. However, the housing crisis doesn’t stop at national frontiers — and neither should our fight.”
The discussion made one thing clear — Europe urgently needs a new housing policy that guarantees decent, affordable homes for all. Through this campaign, the European Left is amplifying local struggles across the continent and uniting them into a common fight. As we stressed at ManiFiesta: Together we are stronger.
ManiFiesta: A Festival of Struggle and Joy
Beyond the debates, ManiFiesta remained a colorful celebration of internationalism and resistance, with inspiring voices including Kristen Ghodsee (USA), Jeremy Corbyn (MP, UK), Johan Grimonprez (BE), Christiane Benner (IG Metall, DE), Luc Triangle (ITUC), Dr. Mohammed Salha (Director of Al-Awda Hospital in Gaza), Peter Mertens (PTB – PVDA Secretary General), and Raoul Hedebouw (PTB – PVDA President). The social struggle in Belgium and beyond is at a critical juncture: workers are resisting pension cuts, rising inequality, and unjust government policies, while solidarity with international struggles — such as for Gaza — strengthens the movement. ManiFiesta embodied this unity, showing that collective action and sustained pressure can achieve real change.
As Raoul Hedebouw emphasized in his speech at ManiFiesta on Saturday: “Tens of thousands of small acts of resistance together make a difference. We have the power of truth on our side. It is up to us to take our destiny into our own hands.” [Full speech available here: link] His words echoed throughout the festival, inspiring participants to keep building solidarity locally and across borders.
Despite mostly rainy and cold weather, spirits remained high. Crowds danced, sang, and engaged in discussions with enthusiasm. As one festivalgoer noted: “The left won’t be stopped by a bit of Belgian rain. Solidarity keeps us warm.” And when the sun finally broke through on Sunday, its bright spells gave everyone fresh energy for the days — and challenges — ahead.
At the Wellington Hippodrome, ManiFiesta once again proved that solidarity is not only a political vision but also a lived reality — carried in the hearts of all who believe another Europe, and another world, is possible. For the European Left, the festival offered a vital opportunity to connect with participants, share campaigns and initiatives, and amplify the fight for social justice, housing rights, and international solidarity — demonstrating that our collective presence can turn vision into action across Europe.
