Disperse Protesters On Corona Virus Restrictions, Brussels Police Fire Water Cannons And Tear Gas

Illustration of a protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Brussels, Belgium. (Wikimedia Commons/Miguel Discart)

JAKARTA - Police fired tear gas and used water cannon on Sunday to disperse protesters who pelted officers with stones and fireworks as demonstrations in Brussels against government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions turned violent.

Initially, several thousand protesters marched peacefully through the center of the Belgian capital to a neighborhood that hosts the headquarters of a number of EU institutions, where the demonstrations reached their final point.

In the area, a group of protesters wearing black headscarves and chanting 'liberte' (freedom) began throwing stones at police, who reacted with tear gas and water cannon, according to footage and reports from Reuters journalists, quoted December 6.

Demonstrators are protesting a rule imposed in October that requires people to show a COVID-19 pass, in order to access bars and restaurants.

"I can't stand discrimination of any kind, and now there is a vaccine permit which is discriminatory, sanctions for (unvaccinated) caregivers are also discriminatory, there is mandatory vaccination that is heading our way," one protester, martial arts teacher Alain Sienaort said.

"It's all discrimination, so we have to fight it. We don't want a dictatorship," he stressed.

The protests follow new measures announced on Friday to curb one of the highest infection rates in Europe, including mandatory wearing of masks for most primary school children and extended school holidays.

To note, at the end of November, a large number of demonstrators clashed with police in Brussels. It led to dozens of arrests, injuries among police officers, and widespread property damage.