A union-organized Brussels demonstration by Belgian healthcare workers took a violent turn on Tuesday morning, June 13th.
The demonstration was held in support of staff at hospitals and residential care centers demanding more resources. Structural staff shortages have contributed to patient distress, since waiting lists for patients are long.
Video footage, which has since gone viral, shows a police officer attempting to hit Tom Van Grieken, chairman of the Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang party, in the face.
The post, tweeted by Vlaams Belang, reads: “Since when is supporting a demonstration for healthcare an issue in Belgium?” Is this Brussels PS [Parti Socialiste] mayor [Philippe] Close’s notion of democracy?”
In the footage, Vlaams Belang chairman Tom Van Grieken is seen talking to officers. During a heated exchange, he appears ready to hand over flyers (which read slogans such as “take care of care” and “a heart for care”) that he and about 20 party members and supporters had brought with them. The situation escalated however, when one police officer sought to confiscate their banner, to which Van Grieken replied: “You stay off our banner, Sir.”
After some initial pushing and pulling, the officer can be seen lashing out, as he attempts to strike Van Grieken with a flat hand, a move which the latter largely manages to block. Immediately afterwards, his fellow officer holds him back, as he tries to calm down the situation.
Other footage gives a bird’s eye’s view, showing how a large police force—greatly outnumbering the Vlaams Belang members—effectively cordons them off as it proceeds to push them away from the main demonstration.
While the incident was not caught on video, Vlaams Belang MP Ellen Samyn has claimed she, after having been pushed to the ground, was kicked by another police officer.
In a separate Facebook post, Van Grieken leveled criticism at Brussels’ socialist mayor, who he said had illegally forbidden them to participate in the demonstration, and for having sicced French-speaking police on them to “beat up our MPs who wanted to support our healthcare workers today.”
As reported by Het Laatste Nieuws, unions participating in the demonstration denied that Vlaams Belang was part of their protest and claimed the party wanted to hijack the event for its own purposes.
One person involved told HLN that the party “pushes the limits in demonstrations, and has been living at odds with Brussels’ city council for some time.”
According to Brussels police, who apparently had not granted Vlaams Belang a permit, certain “actions” taken by Vlaams Belang members had made other demonstrators uneasy. “To keep the peace and avoid further confrontation,” we decided to “separate” this group, said spokeswoman Ilse Van de keere. “This was accompanied by unruly behavior, followed by pushing and pulling. What exactly transpired is still being investigated,” she added.
Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) told HLN that she condemned “any form of violence by police, if that violence is illegal and disproportionate.”
Talking to Flemish public broadcaster VRT NWS later in the day, Van Grieken said that he disagreed with the police’s version of events. “I do not think we caused any provocation. We have the right to demonstrate and did not use violence, but instead were victims of violence. It is unacceptable [for police] to act in this way.”
Van Grieken has since voiced his intention to lodge a formal complaint with Belgium’s Permanent Oversight Committee on the Police Services (Comité P).
