The fishermen's demonstration shakes up the rue de la Loi in Brussels

(B2) The Law street blocked (the street which serves the headquarters of the European Commission as well as many DGs - general directorates - and is also that of the Prime Minister, the Belgian assembly and a number of ministries). Several hundred police, from the Brussels police with reinforcements from Etterbeek and the General Reserve. A federal police helicopter in the air. The small dishes had been put in the big ones to receive with dignity the sailors-fishermen, mainly French, who came to demonstrate in Brussels. In fact, only 300 were present, visibly. The others having apparently been blocked at the borders.

La calm demonstration at the beginning, in the morning, degenerated in the early afternoon. When a delegation, after having been received for a good hour by the chief of staff of European Commissioner Joe Borg, in charge of Fisheries, left. The language of European leaders rejecting "short-term solutions if they are not part of structural reforms" or explaining that "it is not Commissioner Borg who has the solution but that it is rather in the Member States members" obviously had difficulty getting past the sailors left pounding the pavement.

Results... A few cobblestones have been loosened, and flew towards the windows of some nearby European buildings. The Directorate General of Agriculture, nearby, has suffered many broken windows. So is the Council's Lex building. And a bank (in the evening, the glaziers were already at work to repair the damage). One or two garbage cans were also burned. And an overturned car.

74 fishermen were arrested (73 French) by the police - 60 administrative and 14 judicial arrests. The police - aided by helicopter tracking - apparently went in search of the troublemakers, in the adjacent streets, to bring them back, under good escort - and detained for a few hours. The police especially did not appreciate the "stretched rocket fire" from the navy. " This is inappropriate. It's dangerous “Assured a manager. The police deplored three minor injuries. " We're releasing everyone bit by bit “Assured, last night, Christian De Coninck, spokesperson for the Brussels police. But for the judicial arrests, still weighed the sword of Damocles of possible prosecutions of the Public Prosecutor's Office.

(NGV)

Photos: © Ngv (the last photo is deliberately blurred)