49 arrests during New Year’s Eve in Antwerp, young person arrested despite house arrest during riots (Antwerp)

Last New Year’s Eve, the Antwerp police arrested 49 people, including 28 minors, for disrupting public order. One of them did not comply with the house arrest imposed.

The transition from old to new initially went smoothly compared to previous years. The Antwerp police only registered the first disturbances shortly after midnight. On the Lakborslei in Deurne, young people lit flares at passing cars, and on the Terloplein in Borgerhout a bicycle was doused with gasoline and set on fire.

“We kept a close eye on the pulse and intervened quickly where necessary,” says spokesperson Kim Bastiaens of the Antwerp police. “In addition to Lakborslei and Terloplein, most interventions were located in Veldstraat in Antwerp North, Bisthovenplein in Deurne, Driekoningenstraat in Berchem and Sint-Bernardsesteenweg on Kiel and Hoboken.”

The police had their hands full, especially at the latter location. At the intersection of Sint-Bernardsesteenweg and Julius De Geyterstraat, the fireworks bombs continued in rapid succession, until around 2 a.m. the police dispersed the rioters and surrounded dozens of people at the El Fath and Nassr mosques.

“A total of 49 people were arrested in Antwerp, of which 28 were minors. Of those 49 arrests, ten people were judicially arrested for committing a crime, and four minors were brought to trial for vandalism and unruliness. 39 people were administratively arrested, mainly for disturbing public order,” says Bastiaens.

Striking: one of the arrested minors did not comply with his house arrest. “He also disrupted public order, even though he had only been released from prison in the early evening,” said Bastiaens. “60 percent of young people under house arrest correctly complied with the imposed measure.”