Brussels mayor Philippe Close has come under mounting pressure over plans to host what the US Embassy has described as the “largest Fourth of July celebration outside the United States”, with activists accusing the city of legitimising the politics of US President Donald Trump.
The event, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, is due to take place at Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire on June 28, 2026 and is expected to attract around 5,000 guests, including Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
American musician and producer Nile Rodgers, founder of the band Chic, is set to headline the event.
The Parc du Cinquantenaire was built in 1880 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence and traditionally hosts Belgium’s own National Day celebrations on July 21.
The City of Brussels said it would provide police and security for the gathering.
The decision has triggered criticism from climate activists, anti-capitalist groups, antifa groups and animal rights campaigners, who argue the celebrations amount to political support for the current US administration.
In an open letter addressed to Close, activists from Extinction Rebellion and other organisations said authorising the event would mean “actively endorsing President Trump’s policies and the world he is imposing upon us”.
“This celebration is a celebration of ever-expanding fascism and authoritarianism,” the group wrote.
The activists accused the United States of undermining international climate efforts and condemned Washington’s military policies in the Middle East, citing last year’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“For decades, the United States has obstructed coordinated climate action while taking countless destructive decisions,” the letter stated.
“The war in the Middle East is only the latest act of terror committed by the United States military, the world’s largest polluter, while the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement destroys even the fragile progress that agreement represented.”
Trump signed an executive order pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement on the first day of his second term in January 2025.
The group also criticised the planned military symbolism and aviation-related festivities linked to the event, referencing Belgium’s acquisition of American-made F-35 fighter jets. Belgium ordered 34 F-35As in 2018 at a cost of around €4 billion to replace its ageing F-16 fleet, with the first home-based aircraft arriving at Florennes Air Base in October 2025. The De Wever government has since approved the purchase of 11 additional jets at a cost of €1.67 billion, bringing the total planned fleet to 45 aircraft.
“We call on the Mayor of Brussels and Brussels Environment not to betray the missions entrusted to them, to assume their responsibilities, and to refuse submission to the authoritarian American regime,” the letter concluded.
Close has rejected accusations that hosting the celebration amounts to political endorsement.
“I hear the comments and the criticism. But when I allow an association or certain countries to organise celebrations in Brussels (Colombia, Mongolia, Portugal, Chinese New Year…), we’re not judging based on the government; rather, we’re positioning ourselves as a multicultural capital,” he told Belgian media yesterday.
“We know that anything related to the United States can be controversial. But everyone knows full well that this is the celebration of a country that is, after all, deeply intertwined with our own history,” he added.
“I don’t see on what grounds we would refuse to let the United States commemorate its 250th anniversary,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, Belgian animal rights group GAIA has separately urged the US Embassy to cancel the fireworks display planned as part of the celebrations.
In an open letter to US Ambassador Bill White, GAIA said the use of fireworks was “completely inconsistent” while Belgium’s federal parliament debates restrictions on the sale and possession of fireworks by private individuals. The organisation, founded in 1992, has long campaigned for a nationwide ban on the private use of fireworks on animal welfare grounds.
