Policing cities under antiterrorism: towards the sanctuarisation of events in public space? Festive events and protests in Brussels Merlin Gillard Supervisor: Lucas Melgaço Co-supervisor: Corentin Debailleul Master thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Urban Studies (VUB) and Master of Science in Geography, general orientation, track ‘Urban Studies’ (ULB) Date of submission: 12 August 2019 Master in Urban Studies – Academic year 2018-2019 C'est une apparence caricaturale d'appropriation et de réappropriation de l'espace urbain, que le pouvoir autorise, lorsqu'il permet des cortèges dans les rues, mascarades, bals folkloriques. Quant à la véritable appropriation, celle de la "manif" effective, elle est combattue par les forces répressives, qui commandent le silence et l'oubli. Henri Lefebvre, 1970, La Révolution urbaine 1 Abstract This master thesis addresses the evolution of events policing in Brussels public space after the 2015- 2016 terrorist attacks on Paris and Brussels. Using a variety of qualitative methods on several events such as music festivals and protests, I analyse the policing strategies and surveillance and security techniques. Implemented by different security institutions, they are deeply rooted in space and this has implications for public space and the right to the city of the society outcasts. What emerges is that security measures at festive events have been reinforced after the attacks, thereby consolidating the permanent state of exception. Protests policing, on the other hand, does not suffer from these specific exception measures. However it is influenced by global tendencies in protests policing, playing a double game of negotiation with the legitimate protesters and repression against the dissenting ones. In fact, security measures for both types of events are based on edifying temporary fortifications, managing circulations, and the close monitoring of the spaces of the events. In the antiterrorist context, the status of racialised populations as ‘enemy from within’ has been reinforced, consolidating their ‘membership’ to a long list of outcasts, undesirable populations whose right to the city suffers from the intensification of events policing and surveillance. In order to describe these processes comprehensively, I use the term ‘sanctuarisation’ of events in public space. If sanctuarisation aims to shelter events from terrorist threats and ensure a pleasant and peaceful urban experience, it also protects such events, the neo-liberal economy and the State politics from any kind of disorder and dissent, thereby excluding a series of populations and reinforcing dynamics of domination. Keywords: festive events, protests, antiterrorism, public space, police, Brussels, sanctuarisation, state of exception, negotiated management, prevention, repression 2 Acknowledgements This master thesis is the result of work that would have not been possible without the support and help of many people. Therefore, I would like to thank: - fellow students, room-mates and friends that have coped with me and my tendency to bring politics in every conversation for the last 5 years. Thanks to my friends with whom it is possible to discuss politics. Thanks to Sam for your always-welcomed delicious cakes! - every person that agreed to answer to my interviews, for their time and answers, more notably members of the staff of the police, Brussels city, Brussels Expo, Step in Live, CSC and FGTB; - my supervisors, Lucas Melgaço and Corentin Debailleul, for their availability, friendly meetings, and new references suggestions that made the bibliography longer every time. Hopefully the books you lent me are still safe and sound. Thank you for steering me back to the main topic and for your support in my sometimes over-the-top ideas; - urban studies and ULB geography lab staffs, especially Paul Bettens for the friendly welcoming; - my dad, without whom these studies would have not been possible; - my mum for her constant love and support, her questions helping me move forward and order my thoughts, and her careful proofreading of English. - my brother Florian for his support and help, and his well-developed skills in puns; - Juliette for her very to-the-point, intransigent and especially fun-to-read proofreading; - Valentine and Pamela, my special student room team without whom the redaction of this master thesis would have been a very different step. Thanks for the talks, breaks, (culinary) debates, cauliflower, disillusioned remarks and shouting moments! 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract...................................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgements................................................................................................................3 Preliminary note and abbreviations......................................................................................8 Notes on inclusive language.................................................................................................................8 Abbreviations........................................................................................................................................8 FIRST PART........................................................................10 1. Introduction...........................................................................10 1.1. Research questions........................................................................................................10 1.2. Definition of the terms..................................................................................................10 1.3. Plan.................................................................................................................................12 2. State of the art........................................................................13 2.1. Antiterrorism: the state of exception as a neoliberal authoritarian tool.....................13 2.1.1. Security of the liberal State........................................................................................................13 2.1.2. Antiterrorism and the state of exception..................................................................................13 2.2. Pressures on public space and the right to the city......................................................14 2.2.1. Behind the ideals, the public space of domination and exclusion...........................................14 2.2.2. Public space under pressure.....................................................................................................16 2.3. Festive events policing..................................................................................................18 2.3.1. Urban entrepreneurialism & events urbanism........................................................................18 2.3.2. Mega-events security................................................................................................................19 2.4. The evolution of protests policing tactics....................................................................20 3. Contextualisation..................................................................22 3.1. Chronology.....................................................................................................................22 3.2. Legal framework...........................................................................................................26 4. Hypothesis: the sanctuarisation of public space....................29 5. Methodology..........................................................................32 5.1. Case-studies...................................................................................................................32 5.1.1. Case selection rationale.............................................................................................................32 5.1.2. Empirical cases..........................................................................................................................33 4 5.2. Methodology techniques...............................................................................................34 5.2.1. Ethnographies...........................................................................................................................34 5.2.2. Documentary research.............................................................................................................35 5.2.3. Interviews..................................................................................................................................36 SECOND PART....................................................................39 6. Festive events policing...........................................................39 6.1. Case-study 1: Brussels Summer Festival 2018.............................................................39 6.1.1. General organisation.................................................................................................................39 6.1.2. Location, fencing and access control.......................................................................................42 6.1.3. Main roles of police and security agents.................................................................................49 6.1.4. Medical and commercial arrangements..................................................................................53 6.2. Case-study 2: Brussels Summer Festival 2014............................................................54