Coronavirus: violence erupts in Brussels against new Covid-19 measures
- Police said three police officers were injured in the rioting and 42 people were briefly detained, while two were arrested
- Police fired water cannon and tear gas in response to protesters throwing projectiles
Violence broke out at a protest against anti-Covid measures in Brussels on Sunday, in which police said tens of thousands of people took part.
The march began peacefully but police later fired water cannon and tear gas in response to protesters throwing projectiles, an Agence France-Presse photographer witnessed.
Agence France-Presse also saw at least two police injured in the events, as officers in riot gear charged the crowd backed by water cannon. One protester was seen being evacuated by an ambulance near the Berlaymont, the European Union headquarters.
Police told Belga news agency that three police officers were injured in the rioting, without giving further details.
Several of the demonstrators caught up in the clash wore hoods and carried Flemish nationalist flags, while others wore Nazi-era yellow stars.
Protesters set fire to wood pallets, and social media images showed rioters attacking police vans with vandalised street signs.