At least 70 people have been arrested this Sunday during the riots that occurred during a massive demonstration against the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus in the city of Brussels to which they have gone about 50,000 people, according to the Police, 500,000 according to the organizing organizations.
Police have reported arrests for possession of dangerous or prohibited objects and for property damage. In addition there are several injured: twelve demonstrators and three agents, none seriously, who were taken to a hospital to receive medical attention.
The march passed without incident until 3:00 p.m., when the Police demanded the dissolution of the concentration. The organizers reported the end of the protest, but the attendees did not leave and some of them confronted the police.
What’s more, a local Belgian television team Bx1 made up of a journalist and a camera has been attacked, as reported by the media itself. “Several individuals violently intervened while one of our teams was filming people who were lifting cobblestones to prevent images from being taken,” the outlet said. The protesters harassed and pushed the journalists and “tried to take over the camera,” according to BX1.
Among the organizers of the march are groups such as World Wide Demonstration for Freedom –Global Demonstration for Freedom– or Europeans United for Freedom -Europeans United for Freedom- in a call at European level held in Brussels as it is the seat of the main EU institutions.
The demonstration took several months of planning and finally the attendees gathered at 11:00 at the Brussels-North station. Demonstrators from other European countries joined later.
“Against the past of shame. It is unacceptable,” declared a protester. “Y against this muzzle that we wear. We don’t even see the smiles anymore… It’s inhumane,” he argued, quoted by the Belgian network RTL.
“It is the Chinese society that we do not want,” pointed out another of the attendees. “The end of the individual, control, the total state… That is why we are here. Brussels is important because there is the European Commission, which are the ones who decide everything,” he argued.
The march arrived at the Cinquantenaire Park around 1:45 p.m., where there were various speeches by Belgian and foreign spokespersons on a stage.