Around forty individuals were made subject to administrative arrests during the period of Sunday night through to Monday morning. This followed a fresh outbreak of violence around the Rue de Brederode. Local police confirmed this around 2 a.m. on Monday morning. Two legal arrests took place for carrying illegal weapons. The tensions injured four people, including a police inspector. Two people were taken to hospital.
After an initial outbreak of violence on Friday in the district, Sunday evening was also characterised by fresh tensions. The police communicated, “Members of the police mediation team were attacked by around a hundred people. Police forces quickly regained control of the situation. One policeman was injured and taken to hospital.”
Around 10.00 p.m., troublemakers once again disturbed the restoration of order. They attacked the police with batons and iron rods, as well as incendiary bombs. The police assessment of the incident went on, “Potentially there was a heavy weapon involved, but the police are not a position to confirm this. However, a light pistol was found.”
In the meantime, the Mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever (N-VA), declared a prohibition on further rallies, for a week at least in the Brederodewijk area. After order was restored, the police continued to patrol for several hours in the surrounding area, to check that the prohibition was being observed. They noted, “Several small groups violated the prohibition giving rise to administrative arrests.”
The tensions began on Friday, when a campaign bus for “Free Ocalan” (the surname of the Kurdish leader imprisoned by the Turkish courts) had ended up - accidentally - in Rue de Brederode. The conflict arose as numerous Turkish immigrants lived there.
The Brussels Times
