The largest of these events was held in Ghent, where protesters occupied one of the city's main squares and partied until midnight when a delegate from Iraq, the former record holder, handed over a trophy.
The Belgium youth seemed to be fed up with their government, or lack thereof. They started what was called the "fries revolution," after Belgian chips, their most popular national symbol. One of the organizers of the event in Ghent (sarcastically) said, "We want to show our politicians that we are proud of their performance."
Other protests that happened on the record-breaking day included a strip protest, beer demos, and the continuation of longstanding actions such as shaving and sex strikes. The protesters were wondering what their politicians were doing. Their inability to form a government stopped them from solving important problems such as the country's budget and raising unemployment rate.
The fries revolution may not be the same kind of revolutions as the others that have been going on recently, but it sounds much nicer. Peaceful, ironic protests sound safer than overthrowing a government, but both are important in their own ways.
