Riots broke out in Liège in Belgium earlier on Saturday after a Black Lives Matter demonstration against police violence and racism. The peace in the center of the city seems to have returned, but local media including The last news say that there is still a “tense atmosphere”. The police remain present.
According to Belgian media, about two hundred “hotheads” caused “serious riots” on Saturday afternoon and rocked the center of Liège. The rioters looted a McDonald’s restaurant and shops were also allegedly destroyed. A police station and police vehicles were pelted.
Young people attacked an agent, after which the situation escalated. The officer had to go to the hospital by ambulance. Eight other officers were slightly injured.
The police, who deployed three water cannons and tear gas, called on everyone to leave the center. The rioters threw paving stones, road signs, shoes and glass bottles.
The demonstration was announced in response to an incident involving a Congolese woman who had opposed the police in a central square in the city on Monday. As a precaution, the authorities had already held additional security forces ready on Saturday. Shopkeepers were asked to keep their doors closed.
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