Brussels Police Arrests Demonstrators and Politicians

From the desk of The Brussels Journal on Tue, 2007-09-11 13:42

While our editor Paul Belien is still entangled in the SIOE-demonstration in Brussels, we bring you a report by Baron Bodissey from Gates of Vienna, who has been monitoring the situation and who has been in contact by telephone with some of the demonstrators, including Paul - LVB

12:29 CET

I just received a phone call from Aeneas, a British blogger who is in Brussels for the SIOE demonstration. It was hard to hear him during our conversation due to the sirens in the background.

The demonstration is proceeding, and, despite the rumors in advance, the Brussels police are not allowing the demonstrators to protest without hindrance. People are being dragged away by the police and put into buses.

Flyboy then got on the phone and told me that riot police have been deployed, and that dogs and water cannon are being used against the demonstrators. There has been no violence except by the police. I could hear the demonstrators chanting and dogs barking in the background.

Paul Belien of the Brussels Journal was the next person to talk to me. He says that there are maybe 500 demonstrators in Schuman Square, and that many of those are being arrested and carried away. He has seen Danish, Swedish, British, American, and Canadian flags on display.

There is a large contingent of Vlaams Belang (the Flemish separatist party) at the demonstration, and the party’s leaders are among those arrested. Mr. Belien says that the president of the party, Frank Venhecke, was beaten to the ground by the police, arrested, and put into a bus.

It seems that the police are trying to arrest everybody at the demonstration. I will add updates when I hear more.

12:54 CET

According to Flyboy, there are video cameras from local media everywhere, so we should eventually see this in the news.

So far there is nothing about it on Google News.


13:02 CET

This just came up in via Google News, from Expatica:

Dewinter to attend banned protest

Vlaams Belang figureheads Filip Dewinter and Frank Vanhecke plan to take part in the banned demonstration against the “Islamisation of Europe” on the Schumanplein in Brussels.

“We will look at what the situation is, but our plan is to join the protest,” says party chairman Vanhecke, who, as member of the European Parliament, will also be receiving the organisation’s list of demands.

“It is not our demonstration, but we sympathise with the aims. I also expect that quite a few of our people will be there.”

On its website the party distances itself from “marginal and obscure neo-Nazi groups that might try to steal the spotlight.”

As reported earlier (see below), Frank Vanhecke is among those arrested.

13:45 CET

Henrik, in the comments, has this to say:

I just got a phone call from a friend of mine. They heard rumours of arrests, but they’re fine, no mass arrests where they are. They are debating if they dare put up their banners.

The story from Paul sounds solid, too. Could there be two separate groups?

That might be the case. But when I spoke to my contacts on the phone, all three reported that police were using their batons while they arrested people and put them in buses.

And here’s something I forgot to report earlier: Aeneas said that people were lying down in front of the police buses, to try to keep them from departing with their cargo of arrested demonstrators.

14:23 CET

I haven’t been able to find any news of this on the web in English, but our Swedish correspondent SD just sent his amended machine translation of an item from Brussel Nieuws (further amendations by me):

Brussels — The organizers of the prohibited anti-Islam meeting have this midday tried to demonstrate in Luxemburg Square. But the police force of Brussels arrested the participators systematically. The Vlaams Belang protests in the meantime in Schuman Square against the meeting prohibition.

The police force is massively present in the European Union district to prevent riots. The participators do not get the chance to demonstrate in Luxemburg Square. As soon as they appear they are immediately arrested. Also the foreign press is clearly visible, present on the square. Of the expected thousands of participators is little talk: in Luxemburg Square about 200 people collected, in Schuman Square about ten — especially members of the Vlaams Belang. They protest against the meeting prohibition by Brussels mayor Freddy Thielemans (PS). He prohibited the demonstration because security could not be definitely assured. Vlaams Belang leaders Frank Vanhecke and Philip Dewinter were this midday arrested in Schuman Square and were taken away by the police force.

In spite of a prohibition by some of the organizers of the movement “Stop the Islamisation of Europe” (SIOE), their followers have nevertheless come down on 11 September to Brussels. The activists say they want stop the invasion of Islamic customs into Europe. Of the organizers, German Udo Ulfkotte from Pax Europe officially distanced himself last week from the event.

14:39 CET

The latest word from the field:

I just got a call from Flyboy, and he reports that the demo is over. Marchers who started at Luxemburg Square were prevented from reaching Schuman Square, which is where all the arrests took place. He has video, photos, and interviews, including footage of Vlaams Belang members being beaten to the ground and arrested.

Neither he nor any of the people with him (including Paul Belien and Aeneas) were arrested. The conclusion seems to be that the members of Vlaams Belang were specifically targeted for arrest.

I hope to have some of the visual material before long.

Western Civilization Wavering, Tottering...

Submitted by bd on Tue, 2007-09-11 21:21.

Just because the U.S. and Europe have (overall) strong economies, First World status, and (potentially) undefeatable Militaries doesn't mean we're impregnable.

 

Europe is on the brink of civil war and if the Democrats in the US Congress have there way, the US will be tottering to.

 

Rome, in the end, had many problems, but her people caved in.

 

Don't make the same mistake Euro's (and us too!).

9/11 #2

Submitted by Atlanticist911 on Tue, 2007-09-11 21:15.

Only recently a Muslim group sought  to march peacefully through the streets of New York to promote the Muslim presence within the local community.There was some local opposition to it ,coming as it did so close to the 9/11 commemorations.However,the Mayor of New York defended their right to march and the march went ahead as requested.I repeat,this happened in NEW YORK,and no dead Muslims were reported. Today,the Mayor of Brussels...(WELL,YOU KNOW THE REST).

Freedom in Europe is GONE!

Submitted by bd on Tue, 2007-09-11 20:46.

Europeans, your RIGHTS are gone!!

 

You live in THE COMMUNIST EUROPEAN EMPIRE!

 

You are not allowed GOD GIVEN-

- Free Speech

- Right to Protest

- Right to Bear Arms

- Right to Defend Yourselves or Your Families

 

If you don't rise up now and organize and deploy MASSIVE PROTESTS AND STRIKES AND SHUT DOWN YOUR GOVERNMENT, Europe WILL BE EURABIA AND BELGIUM WILL BE BELGISTAN!!

Your COMMUNIST governments are betting that letting in the ISLAMIC INVASION will create a massive voting block that will 're-elect' them.  You know and I know that the MUSLIM'S ARE NOT INTERESTED IN ASSIMILATING INTO YOU NOW DYING CULTURE... THEY'RE INTERESTING IN MAKING YOU CULTURE DIE, CONVERTING YOU ALL BY FORCE OF ARMS AND RULING THE EURARABIAN CALIPHATE!

 

EUROPEANS!  BELGIANS!  RISE UP NOW AND THROW OUT YOUR GOVERNMENTS AND THE INVADERS AND FREE YOURSELVES!!

Freddy

Submitted by Mike H. on Tue, 2007-09-11 19:27.

"He prohibited the demonstration because security could not be definitely assured."

 Do you think that he got wind of the police plans?
 

@USAntigoon

Submitted by atheling on Tue, 2007-09-11 17:41.

Thanks for the link.

This is appalling, coming from a western country.

So far I've seen NOTHING from the American media on this. They'd rather focus on Britney Spears. Idiotic.

@USantigoon

Submitted by peter vanderheyden on Wed, 2007-09-12 10:09.

"So far I've seen NOTHING from the American media on this"

If the american media has to report about every gathering of more then 200 persons across the globe, 24 hours in one day will not be enough, don't you think?

@Peter vanderheyden

Submitted by atheling on Thu, 2007-09-13 07:34.

"If the american media has to report about every gathering of more then 200 persons across the globe, 24 hours in one day will not be enough, don't you think?"

But you are missing the point. We are seeing a Western democracy behaving like a fascist state.

Dog bites man is not news. Man bites dog is news.

@PVDH

Submitted by USAntigoon on Wed, 2007-09-12 12:59.

Don't know why you address this to me...I didn't made that statement, but do like to remind you that the 9/11 remembrance and the General Petraeus hearings took the headlines here yesterday..

Here's the BBC headline:

Submitted by YankeeDave on Tue, 2007-09-11 16:56.

Here's the current BBC headline: "Belgian Police arrest far-right activists at Brussels anti-Islam march"

Given that headline, you can imagine the tone of the al-Beeb article. They minimize the numbers, saying there's only 200 protestors, and make it sound like a group of riotous skinheads. The URL is http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6989581.stm

The Beeb has yet again shown itself as a department of the Islamist Ministry of Propaganda.

Assault of the Vlaams Belang MEPs

Submitted by aris boundakis on Tue, 2007-09-11 16:47.

Clearly the Mayor of Brussels and Brussels Police Chief should be prosecuted as being entirely responsible for the vicious physical attack
on the MEPs and others attending peacefully today's demonstration in Brussels.
Given the political bias and the sad state of Belgian
justice I wouldnt hold your breath for anything like this to happen. Probably the victims will be prosecuted for offending Muslims and damaging police boots and batons.

Press release regarding police violence

Submitted by Frodo42 on Tue, 2007-09-11 16:06.

Brutal police violence against
MEPs in Brussels

 

 

At 12.15 today three members of
the European Parliament, Frank Vanhecke, Carl Lang and Mario Borghezio have been
brutally arrested by Brussels' police during a peaceful demonstration against
the islamization of Europe.

 

The rally had been banned by the
socialist mayor of Brussels, but informally the police had
indicated that a short symbolic action would be tolerated at the Schumanplein.
It was also to be a demonstration in favour of freedom of speech.

 

Without any warning, however, the
police started kicking and beating, and arresting the protesters. Frank
Vanhecke, MEP and chairman of the Vlaams Belang, was thrown on the ground and
kicked several times in the kidneys. Even in the police car he was beaten by
members of the police force. Other MEPs and members of the Flemish and Belgian
federal Parliaments, eg Filip Dewinter, were given the same treatment.

 

Such brutal police violence
against a peaceful demonstration has never been displayed before in Brussels. The totalitarian
and extremist behaviour of the mayor and his police force are totally
unacceptable in a city that claims to be the capital of the European Union. It
is a paradox that the EU is promoting democratic rights throughout the world,
whereas it is located in a country that is increasingly violating those same
rights.

 

The ITS group has asked the
President of the European Parliament to condemn this completely disproportional
violence against peaceful demonstrators in general and against three MEPs in
particular.

 

Philip Claeys

Vlaams Belang MEP

Acting president of the ITS Group

 

The press conference, scheduled at 16.30 in
the press room of the European Parliament, will take
place.

Visuals

Submitted by Frodo42 on Tue, 2007-09-11 16:05.

With hat tip to Gates of Vienna, here are visuals of the violent arrests:

http://www.hbvl.be/nieuws/Binnenland/default.asp?art={F07328F7-07E1-4AC7-A13E-CB77E4E6A48C}

Scroll down a bit. It's a slide show that looks like a video.

kleine brogel

Submitted by peter vanderheyden on Tue, 2007-09-11 16:19.

Reminds me of the vaudeville at “Kleine Brogel” (a Belgium place, where allegedly US atomic weapons are stored). A few leftist parliamentarians trying everything they could to make the clash with the police look as violent as possible. At the left side of the political firmament, such actions have long been abandoned by now, on the right side however…

Easy now, it seems to be the police starting this

Submitted by Frodo42 on Tue, 2007-09-11 16:52.

I had some first-hand reports from people present there. While the verdict is still out - we need more details - it does look like a classical case of police brutality. Some of my friends are safe and well, some are 'in police costudy'...

"At the left side of the political firmament, such actions have long been abandoned."

Not the case, not at all. Up here in Denmark, we had severe riots, looting and simple destruction from the left wing extremists. The right wing, however, never does that. Not that we have much of it - one such org just dissolved itself, and the leader of another is in jail. The law works fairly well here :)

parliamentarians

Submitted by peter vanderheyden on Tue, 2007-09-11 17:00.

"Up here in Denmark, we had severe riots, looting and simple destruction from the left wing extremists."

This isn't exactly parliamentarians trying everything they can to make the police action look as violent as possible, is it?

No, Amsterdamsky

Submitted by atheling on Tue, 2007-09-11 15:45.

The Nazis got rid of whoever opposed them. And that's what the Brussels Mayor is doing.

I hope someday he meets the same end as Mussolini.

arrests

Submitted by markpetens on Tue, 2007-09-11 15:42.

Francophone police see one Flemish flag and all hell breaks loose. They must have some kind of special brain trigger.

EU vs. Nazis

Submitted by Amsterdamsky on Tue, 2007-09-11 15:29.

Atheling "no better than the Nazis who preceded them."

I doubt the Nazis would have allowed 20 million muslims into europe to live on welfare and displace and kill native europeans.

Horrendous

Submitted by atheling on Tue, 2007-09-11 15:25.

Europe is a totalitarian state. This is horrific.

The European government is no better than the Chinese Communists at Tienanmen Square.

SHAME ON BRUSSELS.  SHAME ON THE MAYOR OF BRUSSELS. SHAME ON THE POLICE.

Europe's governments are tyrants, no better than the Nazis who preceded them.