Police arrested at least 488 people demonstrations in Brussels today, on Sunday against measures to curb rising infections of the coronavirus. Police broke up demonstrations in Brussels’ today near the central train station and the Mont des Arts area, Bruxelles.
Sunday’s crowds were made up of both Dutch and French-speaking demonstrators, which included Yellow Vest protesters and football supporters who had gathered in central Brussels.
The arrests occurred as police broke up demonstrations around Brussels’ central train station and the Mont des Arts area. No charges have been so far reported.
Demonstrations in Brussels today were not approved
Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo last week decided to stop all non-essential travel in and out of the country until March 1 to prevent a new spike in infections.
Authorities on Thursday refused the protesters a permit to demonstrate amid concerns that gathering crowds could spread the coronavirus. Demonstration organiser Jos Jr complied with the order, writing on Facebook that “the COVID-19 measures cannot be respected.”
The travel restriction comes on top of existing coronavirus measures that include a curfew, mandatory teleworking and the closure of restaurants and bars except for takeaways. Some Belgian cities and municipalities have stricter rules in place where outdoor meetings and preventing any gatherings, especially larger gatherings like the demonstrations in Brussels today.
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