Last year a group of students decided that the pro-life message needed to be front and center in Brussels, Belgium. There is a huge significance to Brussels as it is also the European Capitol, hosting the European Parliament and EU.
I was already going to be in Europe at the time of the march last year, with a team from Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, when I got the invitation to attend. I was also honored with the opportunity to speak at the march, an experience I will never forget.
Over the past year I have been working with the students in Belgium to help build up for this year’s march and build the youth pro-life movement in Belgium. I have done two speaking tours around Belgium as well as participated in surrounding marches in Germany and Holland.
This year I went with a team from Survivors and Pro-life Action League a week early to speak and train young people around the country leading up to the march. We did not waste any time after arriving on Monday, getting to our first talk that evening.
During the week we participated in the first-ever pro-life demonstration outside of the University of Gent; it was an amazing time of witnessing to students about life. We held a pro-life demonstration outside of the European Parliament, holding life development signs and distributing literature in the crowded square at
lunchtime.
While at another University town, Leuven, we were confronted by the police for showing the life development signs at the downtown train station. While it is perfectly legal, there was not much we could do, as this police officer wanted us gone. We took the signs and marched through the town until we got to the center of the University where we were giving our talks that night.
The day before the march we had a beautiful prayer vigil outside of an abortion mill in Brussels, a new activity for them but one that is growing. We had representatives from Youth Defence, HLI, Youth for Life Belgium, Stand True, Survivors, and The Pro-life Action League praying and singing together in five different languages.
On Sunday morning we woke up early to get a head start on the day and prepare for the march. We met near the Grand Place, the main square of Brussels where the staging area for the beginning of the march was. Watching the crowd slowly build over the next few hours was awesome, and seeing it double from last year brought joy to my heart.
Once again I was blown away at the response I received to my speeches at the march. The people of Belgium were excited to hear the name of Jesus proclaimed in streets and the pro-life message boldly preached. I was also thrilled to see dozens of representatives from so many nations on the stage standing with the people of Belgium. This was truly an united effort and young pro-lifers from Ireland, France, Germany, America, Holland, Poland, Italy and many more nations stood together to proclaim the message of life.
This year over 4,000 people took to the streets of Brussels and marched through the center of the European Capitol in prayerful silence. While the march was done in silence, it spoke loud and clear that the culture of death is in trouble.
The youth of not just Belgium but the world are waking up to the holocaust that is plaguing our generation. We are will not sit by and allow for the destruction of another generation of our brothers and sisters. This generation will not cower; we will not back down and we will lift our voices high until this genocide is stopped.
What we saw in Belgium is a reflection of what I am seeing all over the world with the youth. I have seen groups of young people taking up this cross everywhere and now they are starting to come together in a united front that I believe will usher in a culture of life and bring an end to abortion around the world.
There are four major international youth pro-life events happening over the next year that you can be a part of and support.
August: Youth Defence of Ireland will be holding their annual Viva La Vida Youth Pro-life Conference in Spain during World Youth Day.
November: Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, Youth Defence, Stand True and many other organizations will be part of the first International Youth Pro-life Conference in California.
January: Students for Life of America will be hosting their annual Student Pro-life Conference in Washington, DC, coinciding with the American March for Life.
March: March for Life Belgium and youth pro-life training week.
You don’t have to be a student to stand behind the youth pro-life movement, you just have to be young at heart and still believe we will see and end to the abortion holocaust. You can stay informed on youth pro-life work around the world by following my blog at https://www.bryankemper.com
