Belgium fears the spread of the people’s rebellion. Already over the week
end there were several incidents in Liege and Brussels. Events that were
covered up by the police and the media, in order to keep the people in the
dark.
As the incidents are becoming more numerous, the media are beginning to
let out information bit by bit.
FROM THE MASS MEDIA:
The Vlaams Belang is Targeted
On Monday/Tuesday night, around midnight, a molotov cocktail was thrown
against the secretariat of the Vlaams Belang in Bruges. The missile, full
of gas, smashed against the front of the building bit did not do any damage.
Three people were arrested in relation to this incident. It seems that a witness
took down the license plate number of the alleged attackers. The charges
against them will be decided this Tuesday.
[translators note: the Vlaams Belang is the far-right anti-immigrant political
party formerly known as the Vlaams Blok]
Isolated Incidents in Liege
The police have pointed out that the events in Liege over the weekend and
on Monday were isolated incidents and nothing indicates that they are connected.
Liege is not in a crisis, the local police insist. It is true that glass
was broken but the bus shelters were hardly damaged, the police say. Bottles
full of gasoline were found under some cars but they did not have the proper
mechanism to catch on fire. Though it is true that one window was broken.
Finally, the police was forced to admit that yes some cars were set on fire
over the week end and yes some rocks were thrown at a bus, but these were
isolated incidents the likes of which are nothing out of the ordinary in
a city like Liege. So far as the police are concerned, there is nothing to
indicate that these events were all the work of the same people.
Events in Brussels
Some incidents occurred Monday night in the Brussels-Midi area, according
to Jacques Simonet, president of the police college at Brussels-Midi. Some
rocks were thrown at a police car. A couch was set on fire in Forest and
a car was flipped over in Saint-Gilles. A car was also turned over on Mons
hill in Anderlecht. The situation is under control, said Mr Simonet, who
is also mayor of Anderlecht. The Brussels-Midi support services might intervene
if the situation gets worst, but the police are trying to diminish tensions
with the help of prevention teams.
Five cars were set on fire in the main Brussels station on Sunday/Monday
night, but there have been no other incidents similar to what has been going
on in France over the past 11 nights, said Belgian police on Monday.
“Five cars were set on fire in three different places,” explained Albert
Roosens, the police spokesman, adding that there was no mass disturbance.
“Don’t go looking for some connection with what is happening in France,
because there isn’t any,” he said.
There have been no arrests and the events took place in a run-down area
in the Belgian capital.
Workers Unite!
General Strike!
Please note that the above text about the riots
in France comes from the Indymedia Paris website in France and was translated
by yours truly. I have a “fast and loose” translation philosophy, meaning
that when there is a choice between readability and the original phraseology
i tend to favour the former, provided that the meaning stays the same. The original document can be seen in French.
This originally came from my blog - Sketchy Thoughts
- and is one of a number of pieces i wrote or translated regarding the
riots that rocked France in October and November 2005. To see the a complete
list of such posts, i suggest you check out the 2005 Riots In France page on the Kersplebedeb
site.