Seven Belgians detained in Paris following violence during a Yellow Vest protest on Saturday will receive consular assistance, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said on Monday. Belgium will monitor the legal proceedings that will determine the seriousness of the charges against them, he added.
“We have been contacted by many families, mainly from the Liège area,” the Foreign Minister told Belga news agency.
Belgium’s Embassy in the French capital is in contact with the French police in connection with the seven, who may have committed theft and acts of violence. Their families could take a lawyer, the minister said.
Saturday’s demonstration, the 18th by the Yellow Vests, was marred by violence, especially along the Champs-Elysées Avenue, which was plundered by vandals.
According to French Home Affairs Minister Christophe Castaner, about 1.500 “ultra-violent” protesters infiltrated the roughly 10,000 demonstrators. No fewer than 250 persons, including youths under the age of 21, were detained during the day of protest.
The Brussels Times
