Valérie THATCHER, a French woman, walks from Lyon to Brussels to raise awareness and to encourage citizens to vote in the European Elections 2019. Her initiative is called #walkforeurope. She makes a statement at her arrival in Brussels.

Brussels

statement

2019 European elections (T)

Valérie THATCHER #walkforeurope: atmosphere during the walk in Belgium. Arrival in Brussels and statement

Streetsigns in Somz&eacute;e: Brussels 66km

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking though Somz&eacute;e, Belgium with a European flag wrapped around her backpack, Profile-shot

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking though Somz&eacute;e, Belgium with a European flag wrapped around her backpack, Close-up feet

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking though Somz&eacute;e, Belgium with a European flag wrapped around her backpack, Back-shot

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking though Somz&eacute;e, Belgium with a European flag wrapped around her backpack, Front-shot

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking though Somz&eacute;e, Belgium with a European flag wrapped around her backpack, Close-up face and feet

Streetsign for city limit: "Somz&eacute;e, Walcourt" 

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking on a country road (5 shots) 

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking through a village (2 shots)

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, walking on a small road (2 shots) 

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie Thatcher, Initiator of #walkforeurope, I have decided to do this walk from my home town Lyon to Brussels to say a few things to the people. First, to vote. Because there are a lot of people, especially moderate people, who are not going to vote.

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie Thatcher ,  Initiator of #walkforeurope, We are very lucky to live in a democracy, I always repeat it, to have the right to vote, a real right to vote. It is very important, it is a duty but it is also a power.

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie Thatcher, Initiator of #walkforeurope, What scares me for a long time now, is the banalization of the extremes in the political sphere. For me, that is unbearable. I really want to fight against that because people don't realize the danger that it represents.

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie Thatcher, Initiator of #walkforeurope, We have to move. What we think is not so important. What is important is what we do. It is only a drop of water, I know it is not very much and I will certainly not change a lot of things but we must not give up. That's it.

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie Thatcher, Initiator of #walkforeurope, My project is really apolitical. I have never done politics, I have never been part of a party, I don't have the strength for that. It really is a message of the civil society and one of humanism.

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, Initiator of #walkforeurope, is greeted by a group of supporters

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, Initiator of #walkforeurope, walks through Waterloo with a group of supporters (5 shots)

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher and group of supporters walk next to a motorway from Waterloo to Brussels (3 shots) 

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher and group of supporters arrive to Brussels (4 shots)

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, arrives at the European Parliament in Brussels

Group of supporters applaudes and cheers, as Val&eacute;rie Thatcher arrives at the European Parliament, waving European flags (2 shots)

Val&eacute;rie Thatcher, #walkforeurope initiator, receives flowers and certifiate for citizen's engagement (2 shots)

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie Thatcher, Initiator of #walkforeurope, We still have a way to go until the elections. This is the end of my march, but it is not only a march. There will be elections in a few weeks and a lot of things can happen. And the extreme right parties, for example, are really active. So we have to stay vigilant and we have to continue to wake people up.