October 21, 2010

The Honorable H.E. Bruno Van der Pluijm, the Ambassador of Belgium
360 Albert Street - Suite 820
Ottawa Ontario K1R 7X7
E-mailto:ottawa@diplobel.fed.be

Dear Mr Van der Pluijm,

Re: Anthropologist arrested in Belgium

I am writing to express concern, on behalf of over 500 academic and practicing Canadian anthropologists represented by The Canadian Anthropology Society/La Société canadienne anthropologie (CASCA), about the pre-emptive arrest and gross mistreatment, along with other detainees in police custody, of anthropologist Marianne Maeckelbergh in Brussels on Friday, October 1.

Dr. Maeckelbergh, a professor at the University of Leiden, was taking pictures on a public street at the No Borders Camp. In violation of her human rights, she was detained without charge or valid pretext. The arrest and non-return of Dr. Maeckelbergh’s memory stick has additional implications of concern to anthropologists around the world as it threatens the ability of academics to pursue research on important social movements in safety and in freedom within a democratic society.  We contend that Belgium’s security was in no way threatened by Dr. Maeckelbergh’s participant observation.

The Canadian Anthropology Society/La Société canadienne anthropologie (CASCA) requests that all those responsible for mistreating protestors should be brought to account and a public enquiry be held to investigate the whole issue of the policing of this protest would seem entirely appropriate.

I look forward to your response at your earliest convenience,

Sincerely,