New mass meeting in Brussels: with water cannons against crown violations

For the second day in a row, hundreds of people have gathered in a park in Brussels despite strict requirements from Corona. This massive gathering was also broken up by the police, throwing water and tear gas.

Again, the Belgian police broke up a gathering of hundreds of people in a park for violating Corona regulations. With water cannons, horses and tear gas they were according to the news agency dpa the last larger groups were expelled from the Bois de la Cambre on Friday evening. Previously, people were asked by loudspeaker to leave the park. Bottles, branches and fireworks were thrown at the police. The Belgian news agency Belgian talks about eleven arrests. Therefore, there were no injuries. In Belgium, at present, groups of up to four people are only allowed to meet outdoors.

Mass for the second consecutive day

According to police estimates, around 1,500 to 2,000 people gathered and celebrated in the park on Thursday after an internet call. In interviews, some said they came to protest against the crown measures. Numerous police officers were injured when the mass gathering broke up. At least one officer received a blow to the head and was taken to hospital, reports Belgian citing the police. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo condemned the riots. On Twitter, he described this as “completely unacceptable.” He could understand when people were tired of pandemics, but at the same time emphasized that hygiene rules exist for good reasons and that hospitals are filling up.

Number of infections rising sharply in Belgium

The number of corona infections in Belgium has increased considerably in recent weeks. According to official figures, the 14-day incidence is now just under 550 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. As early as autumn, the country of 11.5 million people sometimes had one of the highest corona infection rates in Europe. However, strict restrictions temporarily slowed the spread of the virus.