Shortly after protests seeking justice for George Floyd, an African-American who was murdered during a police arrest, began in the United States, some people in Belgium protested to show solidarity with Americans protestors and to demonstrate against issues with police or racism.

Because King Leopold II was infamous for historic mass murder, disfigurement and other atrocities in the Congo, many statues of him were defaced or vandalised, including ones in Halle, Ostend, Ghent, Antwerp, and at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren.

[16][17] Some Belgian politicians, including Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès and Minister-President of Flanders Jan Jambon, criticized the march for taking place during COVID-19 restrictions, which included a ban on demonstrations.

After multiple officers received injuries following protests that turned violent, Belgian police unions voted to go on strike.

[28] In response to the treatment of statues of King Leopold II had received during the protests, Prince Laurent of Belgium, younger brother of the current king, defended King Leopold II by saying that "Leopold II had never been to Congo.