(28 April 2016) – Since 7.00 am this morning, 150 volunteers have been distributing at all major train stations in Wallonia and Brussels “Le Bienvenu” (The Welcome), a fake newspaper intended to combat prejudice towards refugees.
The initiative was conceived and is being promoted by a number of francophone NGOs, including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Doctors of the World, the League for Human Rights, trade unions and cooperatives.
A total of 100 000 copies of this ‘people’s solidarity newspaper’ have been produced, in order to present a positive perspective of refugees and migrants and to dismantle some of the prejudices and lies associated with their arrival in Belgium.
The organisers say that their aim is to highlight “the important role of the press in shaping the perception of migrants among the general public, which, according to opinion polls, is increasingly opposed to the welcoming refugees in Belgium.”