What Does Kevin De Bruyne's 'Black Lives Matter' Jersey Mean To Belgium?

Kevin De Bruyne and others support the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of the African-American George Floyd. Photo credit: rtl.be/sport

Kevin De Bruyne is a Belgian professional football player who will be 29 on June 28, 2020. His prowess in football as a midfield player has enabled him to play for the league club Manchester City and the Belgian National Team.

After a hundred days of the English Premier League suspension due to the coronavirus, Manchester City and Arsenal players exhibited jerseys on the soccer field with the inscription 'Black Lives Matter' behind.

Following the brutal murder of the African-American, George Floyd, many organizations and football players around the globe have shown solidarity and supported the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, since there is also a serious issue of racism in football.

Manchester City player Kevin De Bruyne was among other players to denounce racism in soccer as he knelt on the field. However, I strongly believe De Bruyne's action may trigger many questions of interest.

The footballer comes from Belgium, a country that has hailed and supported colonial crimes by erecting statues and naming streets after Leopold II, a king who maimed, hacked the wrists and limbs of children, and killed thousands of Congolese.

Why, for decades, has it never been a subject of interest to Kevin De Bruyne and other Belgian players, including Romelu Lukaku and Vincent Kompany, to speak about that inglorious statue of Leopold II, which has brought shame, disrespect, and insults to the Black man?

You need to consider people who deliberately do the wrong things yet pretend they have done something good very dangerous. That is both the Belgian government and its royal family. If there isn't any statue for Hitler for killing Jews, then there shouldn't be any statue for Leopold II for killing Africans, because we are all human beings.

The color of a person doesn't matter more than the brain he has; therefore, this color issue was just institutionalized as a barrier for the greedy white people to oppress other people to work as slaves for them, leading to slavery, colonial brutalities, and apartheid.

Marc Dutroux is a Belgian convicted pedophile who killed children. He was convicted in 1989 for the abduction and rape of five young girls, and in 2004, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction, rape, and killings of young girls. 

Since 2004, I have been waiting for the Belgian government to unveil the statue of Dutroux, but it has never happened. Sometimes I wonder why a country that has gained world recognition in beer and chocolate production would ruin its reputation in this manner.

Surprisingly, despite all the problems, including demonstrations and hate that have been generated against the government and the royal family over those stupid statues, the Belgian government wasn't prepared to remove them until angry protesters defaced one of Leopold's statues in Ekeren, one of Belgium's municipalities.

The removal of Leopold's statue in Ekeren has a voice that, if the Belgian government or the royal family is wise, they should listen to. Also, Kevin De Bruyne's jersey has a message that, if they listen carefully, they will hear.

Already, statues serving slavery and colonial interests are being pulled down. The Belgian government and the royal family shouldn't wait for another 'George Floyd' to be killed, followed by riots, before they consider pulling down the senseless Leopold's statues.

A word to the wise is enough.