Mass riots in Brussels on New Year's Eve: police arrest 159 people
Kyiv • UNN
On New Year's Eve, riots broke out in Brussels, during which 60 cars were set on fire and rescuers were attacked. Police detained 159 people and recorded more than 1,700 incidents across the city.
A wave of riots hit Brussels late in the evening on December 31. On New Year's Eve, demonstrators set dozens of cars on fire and threw Molotov cocktails at rescue services, UNN reports citing Politico.
Details
Police reportedly arrested 159 people between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday and responded to more than 1,700 incidents across the city. Most of the unrest took place in the western and southern districts of Brussels.
According to the Brussels fire service, at least 60 cars were burned, and firefighters trying to extinguish the flames were thrown stones and Molotov cocktails, forcing them to retreat in some cases. There were no casualties.
"It was really crazy," said Walter Deriou, a spokesman for the Brussels fire department. "We were there to help and Molotov cocktails were thrown at us.
Fireworks crackled in the night sky at midnight, despite the ban on pyrotechnics in the city. Early on Wednesday morning, flares and firecrackers continued to be launched in the city center, and in Iksel, a motorcyclist threw fireworks at passersby at least once.
The riots broke out despite a number of measures taken by the authorities to combat crime on New Year's Eve. These included a controversial curfew for people under 16 in Anderlecht, the first-ever unification of Brussels' six police zones under a central command, and the deployment of hundreds of additional police officers.
Meanwhile, in Belgium's second largest city, Antwerp, there were also riots and fires, and police recorded 49 arrests.
Such riots on New Year's Eve are already "traditional" for Belgium: in 2023, more than 200 people were arrested in the capital, and in 2022 - 160.
Recall
In New Orleans, a car drove into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street. As a result of the incident, 10 people died, 30 were injured and taken to local hospitals.
