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- More than a thousand people, mostly young people, gathered on Thursday in a park in Brussels, without taking into account the rules of distance and hygiene.
- Violent riots broke out and two dozen policemen were injured.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo condemned the illegal mass gathering and clashes as “completely unacceptable”. On Twitter, he announced his support for the injured police officers.
As the Belgian news agency reported Thursday night, citing a police spokesman, at least 26 officers were injured during the operation in the park not far from the city center.
Another celebration announced
Water cannons, mounted police and police dogs were used. According to estimates by the security forces, around 1,500 to 2,000 people gathered in the Bois de la Cambre, where they violated distance and hygiene regulations. According to Belga, a free music event had been called on the Internet in front of the crowd. Another celebration had been announced in the park for Friday night.
Photographs from the scene showed police officers covered in blood, at least one burning barricade, and obviously drunk teenagers and young adults. In a video that was published by the public broadcaster RTBF, a request from the police to interrupt the meeting was heard; the riots apparently only erupted after the loudspeaker announcement.
Security forces were thrown with bottles into the sometimes very aggressive crowd and cornered by outnumbered rioters. At least one officer received a blow to the head and was taken to hospital, Belga reported, citing police. According to Belga on Friday, 22 people were arrested.
Legend:
The riots reportedly occurred when the police called for the meeting to be dissolved over the loudspeaker.
Keystone
De Croo also said Friday that he could understand when people were tired of pandemics. However, he emphasized that the hygiene rules were there for good reason and that hospitals were filling up. In recent days, many people in Brussels had already enjoyed the warm spring weather in the city parks. However, scenes like the one in the Bois de la Cambre had not yet been produced.
Numbers that increase drastically
The number of corona infections in Belgium has increased dramatically in recent weeks. According to official information on Friday, the 14-day incidence is now just under 560 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.
