At least 70 people arrested: “Small group came with one goal: kicking the ass” | Corona demonstration Brussels

The start of the European Manifestation for Democracy was given at 11:30 am at the North Station. From there it went to the Cinquantenaire Park, where speeches were held on a podium. The parade, with 50,000 in attendance, was peaceful until the end.

“After the demonstration, a group deliberately sought confrontation with the police in the European quarter, near the barrage on Schumanplein. Projectiles were thrown and various objects were set on fire. The spray truck and tear gas were used for this,” said police spokeswoman Van dekeere.

At the corner of the Schumanplein and the Kleine Wetstraat, the building of the European External Action Service (EEAS) was destroyed. The rioters were driven into Cinquantenaire Park and afterwards the entire park was evacuated. Still, the unrest did not stop.

“A confrontation was clearly sought with the police at the Merode metro stop, the rioters threw projectiles, vandalized and started fires. Police were clearly attacked with heavy objects, including trash cans, crush barriers and cobblestones. The cat-and-mouse game with the police was subsequently continued in the Tervurenlaan and the surrounding area,” says Van dekeere.

During the many police actions, at least sixty people were administratively detained and ten people were judicially arrested for being in possession of or having thrown projectiles, for rebellion and for damaging the public road. Even before the start of the demonstration, six people were administratively detained in possession of prohibited or dangerous objects.

The police Brussels-Capital Ixelles will provide a new update on Monday.