Anti-racism groups have strongly criticised the character 'The Savage' - a chained white man with a painted black face - during a folk festival in Ath, Belgium.

Every year the parade features the controversial figure, which is a white man in a black costume, covered in black body paint.

The folk festival Ducasse d'Ath has its roots in the 16th century and is endorsed by UNESCO as a cultural heritage event. It takes place every August in the small town west of Brussels.

Anti-racism campaigners have called on UNESCO to remove the Belgian folklore festival from its cultural heritage list unless organisers stop parading characters in blackface.

The man with the controversial blackface called 'the savage' (pictured) gestures during the folk parade Ducasse of Ath in Ath, Belgium

'The Savage', a white performer in a blackface disguise, touches a baby during the festival Ducasse d'Ath, in the western town of Ath, Belgium

Every year the parade features the controversial figure, which is a white man in a black costume, covered in black body paint

The character also wore a feathered war hat and had a chain hanging from his neck along with a golden nose piercing.

During the festival the man engaged with the crowd, including children, leaving marks of black paint on their faces.

Mouhad Reghif a spokesman for anti-racism group Brussels Panthers said: 'This character has all the degrading attributes that black people are given in the racist imagery of our societies.

'It is totally racist and it maintains a degrading image of the black person, which has consequences in everyday life.'

The group sponsored a petition this month, signed by dozens of advocacy groups and individuals, saying the blackface character insulted and mocked black people.

It also demanded that UNESCO withdraw its recognition of the controversial event.

The Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported on Saturday that UNESCO was taking the matter seriously and that it called for exercising respect among communities.

The character also wore a feathered war hat and had a chain hanging from his neck along with a golden nose piercing. Here the character is seen on the carnival float

On the streets of Ath on Sunday the character was applauded by locals who came out to watch the parade

The folk festival Ducasse d'Ath has its roots in the 16th century and is endorsed by UNESCO as a cultural heritage event. The character engaged with younger members of the crowd during the day (pictured)

During the festival the man engaged with the crowd, including children, leaving marks of black paint on their faces

The folk festival takes place every August in the small town west of Brussels. A spectator with his face painted in black watches the parade

However it was not clear if the agency would remove the heritage title from the festival.

Originally intended to commemorate the consecration of the local parish and its patron saint, the parade has grown to include 22 floats of brightly coloured 'giants' representing historical or religious figures.

The controversy over the festival character highlights a wider debate in Belgium about racism and how the country comes to terms with its colonial past.

Bruno Lefebvre who has been mayor of Ath since last year has rejected the criticism.

The character also wore a feathered war hat and had a chain hanging from his neck along with a golden nose piercing

'The Savage', a white performer in a blackface disguise, greets children during the festival Ducasse d'Ath

The four-day carnival in the Belgian town of Ath, features 'The Savage', a white man in blackface, who wears a chain around his neck and a ring through his nose. Crowds watch as the carnival float passes through the street

On the streets of Ath on Sunday the character (pictured) was applauded by locals, while some wore t-shirts that said: 'I am savage'

Anti-racism campaigners have called on UNESCO to remove a Belgian folklore festival from its cultural heritage list unless organisers stop parading characters in blackface. Young men lead the character around with chains

He said: 'It's mostly people from outside who talk about racism, anti-black sentiment.

'At Ath, we never considered 'the Savage' to be a racist figure.

'It is rather a character that the inhabitants of Ath adore. When you get a kiss from 'the Savage', you have good luck all the year ahead.'

On the streets of Ath on Sunday the character was applauded by locals, while some wore t-shirts that said: 'I am savage'.

Bruno Lefebvre (pictured) who has been mayor of Ath since last year has rejected the criticism. He also attended the event

Myriam Carlier, a resident of the town who was out watching the parade on Sunday, said: 'I think it's our folklore, our tradition and I'm in favour of the Savage.'

Similar accusations of racism crop up every December as 'Black Pete' characters in blackfaces help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children in Belgium, as well as in the Netherlands.

Belgium's Africa museum reopened in 2018 to much controversy over whether an exhibition of pro-colonial propaganda had been revamped enough to confront the dark history.

The country's harsh colonial rule in central Africa, including what is now Democratic Republic of Congo is still a controversial topic.

Millions of people perished under a brutal rule that used slave labour to harvest goods including rubber.

Reghif, a 45-year-old IT engineer living in Brussels, said: 'This 'Savage' character is symptomatic of the problem we have in Belgium with the colonial history of our country.

'People still think that we brought civilization to Africa, that they have evolved thanks to us, which is totally false.'