Some 35,000 people took part in the demonstrations in the Belgian capital and center of European political power, according to the police, which began peacefully.
Protesters in black hoods threw stones at police as they advanced with water cannons at the main crossing in front of the headquarters of the European Union Commission, according to Reuters journalists.
In front of the police lines, the protesters held hands and chanted “freedom.” One protester carried a banner that read “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.”
Protesters also launched smoke bombs and fireworks, Le Soir newspaper reported. The situation calmed down later, according to police.
Belgium tightened restrictions on Wednesday to curb the spread of the coronavirus, imposing greater use of masks and forcing people to work from home amid an increase in cases in the fourth wave of COVID-19 in the country.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1,581,500 infections and 26,568 deaths related to the coronavirus have been registered in the country, of 11.7 million inhabitants. Infections are on the rise again, averaging 13,826 new cases daily.
In recent days there have also been acts of violence in protests against the restrictions in the Netherlands, a neighbor of Belgium. On Friday, Rotterdam police opened fire on a crowd.
Precisely in the Netherlands there were protests for the third consecutive night against the confinement, which culminated in clashes with the police. “Many small groups are destroying things” in the northern city of Groningen, a police spokesman said, adding that riot police were deployed to “restore order.”
Riots also in Enschede, Leeuwarden and Tilburg, according to local media.
Source From: Ambito
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