Minister Verlinden: “More than 230 people arrested after riots in Brussels, both Belgians and foreigners” | Inland

“It concerns both Belgians and people who have come from abroad,” the minister adds. Verlinden says he is counting on the Public Prosecution Service to follow up on this “quickly and appropriately”.

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

But then it went wrong again. “After the demonstration, a group deliberately sought confrontation with the police in the European quarter, near the barrage on Schumanplein,” said police spokeswoman Ilse Van dekeere about the disturbances last night. “Projectiles were thrown and various objects were set on fire. The spray truck and tear gas were used for this.”

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,” said Van dekeere. “The police were 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.”

In total, more than 230 people were arrested during the many police actions. Several officers and civilians were injured in the riots.