Dozens arrested during banned far-right 'March on Brussels'

Dozens arrested during banned far-right 'March on Brussels'
Dozens intending to take part in a banned far-right march in Brussels were preventatively arrested. Credit: © Eric Lalmand/Belga

At least 43 people suspected of taking part in a far-right march in Brussels which had been banned from taking place were placed under preventative arrest on Sunday.

Officers from the Brussels-North police zone arrested six people in the municipality of Saint-Josse at around midday, according to Le Soir.

Police carried out the arrests after identifying visible signs that the detainees intended to take part in the Mars op Brussels (March on Brussels in Dutch), a demonstration organised by a Flemish nationalist splinter group of the international neo-nazi group Blood & Honour.

On Firday, ahead of the demonstration, the mayor of Brussels had said that the march could not take place, following an initial decision by police to advice against it taking place.

Between 1:30 and 2:30 PM, police arrested 37 more people in Place d'Espagne, the spot the march's organisers had designated as a meet-up spot.

A separate group is reported to have been arrested at around 4:45 PM, according to the French-speaking daily, potentially bringing up the number of arrests to around 50.

No altercations were reported to have taken place on Sunday, and none of the detainee's arrests have been the subject of judiciary proceedings so far.

Counter-protests organised by anti-fascists groups in response to the far-right march were also banned by the mayor, and around 150 members of Stand Up, an anti-fascist movement, took part in a meeting in Rue du Congrès in Brussels, according to BX1.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times


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