Serious riots broke out in Brussels on Sunday on the sidelines of a demonstration against the Corona measures.
Brussels – There were brutal scenes on Sunday on the sidelines of a large demonstration against the current corona measures. Some of the demonstrators fought street battles with the police – some of whom had to retreat to EU buildings.
According to the police, almost 50,000 people gathered in Brussels on Sunday to demonstrate against the corona rules in Belgium and other EU countries. The alliance “Europeans United” called for this. That is why people from Germany, France and other countries traveled to Brussels for the event.
Corona demo in Brussels escalated: street battles near the European quarter
But while large parts of the demo were peaceful, parts of the demonstrators fought street battles with the police. To imageSome rioters reportedly began throwing firecrackers and cannons before the actual demonstration began at eleven o’clock. A police spokeswoman said six people were arrested before the demonstration began because they were carrying dangerous or prohibited items.
According to reports from various media, the violence escalated around 2 p.m. on the edge of the Europaviertel. Stones, bottles and pieces of wood were thrown at police officers by the demonstrators. In addition, barricades that were supposed to protect the EU buildings were apparently overrun. Police had to retreat to an EU building at times while rioters continued to throw objects at them. Windows and vehicles were damaged. The police used tear gas and water cannons.
Escalation of violence in Brussels on the fringes of the Corona demo
Several videos of the riots are circulating on Twitter. Swedish journalist Hennig Rosenbusch, for example, shared a video showing burning objects on a street in Brussels covered in smoke. He wrote: “The situation in Brussels is completely out of control after a huge demonstration. EU buildings are being attacked and there are serious clashes with the police.”
Journalist Frank Schneider also shared a video of the riots. Here, police officers retreat into a building while they continue to be attacked by demonstrators.
According to RTL, some demonstrators ignored police announcements at the end of the rally, which broke up the meeting at 3 p.m. (rjs)
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