36 officers injured after riots Black Lives Matter: ‘Wave of anger and violence’ | Abroad

Nine police officers had to be hospitalized, one of them is still under observation. reports Nieuwsblad. A police officer sustained a broken collarbone during the riot. Among the injured is a cop who was the target of rioters while on his motorcycle. He was hit hard, but not seriously injured, said Chief of Police Christian Beaupère, who described the riots as a “wave of anger and violence.”

Katia Olszewska of New Yorker’s clothing store on Place Saint-Lambert says she had to hide with the customers while they heard the bombs go off. “I was lucky that there was an agent at the door and that the doors were quickly closed,” she tells RTL info. “I let the first two groups go out through the emergency exit.” Unfortunately, not everyone had the same luck. “I did not get the third group out because the rioters tried to get in from the other side. I decided it was better to lock us up in the storage room. We heard noise but we didn’t know what was going on. It was very stressful. ”

Destruction

The police took stock on Sunday after a Black Lives Matter demonstration against police violence and racism. A few hundred troublemakers rocked the city center on Saturday afternoon. They destroyed a McDonald’s restaurant and shops. Furthermore, a police station and the town hall were pelted. Police deployed water cannons and tear gas.

The demonstration was announced in response to an incident involving a Congolese woman who had opposed the police in the center on Monday. As a precaution, the authorities had already held additional security forces ready on Saturday.

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