New Year’s Eve wasn’t as rowdy as the media say?
The situation is more nuanced. First, regarding the figures communicated, I read and heard that around sixty vehicles were set on fire in Brussels. We were very surprised because, in reality, there were 27 vehicles set on fire. This is obviously still 27 too many, but we are far from the 60 announced in the press. It is especially in the north of the country that these figures have caused a reaction. It is necessary to re-establish the truth, especially since, overall, everything went relatively well in the Brussels Region, with few complaints recorded. Now, this should not camouflage another problem that concerns us: the increase and especially the violence in the use of fireworks targeting police officers, but also firefighters and healthcare personnel.
“This is an isolated incident but we are counting on the justice system to be severe with people who hit police officers”
Is this a new problem?
The first signals date from the end of 2023 and the problematic gatherings which took place after certain football matches during the World Cup in Qatar. I’m not talking about the people who used these fireworks to party, but about the people who found it amusing to attack anything that could be considered an authority, the police in particular. I think that since that moment, there has been, for certain young people, a kind of trigger. They realized that these fireworks and firecrackers – we often talk about Cobra 8s, but there are other models – are easy to find on the Internet and can do a lot of damage in a few moments. They realized that they have access to “use friendly” weapons. It’s terrible.
Acquittal for police officers who had been convicted at first instance for acts of violence against three young English people in Saint-Gilles
Has the situation become more serious?
I’ll be honest with you: targeting police officers is not new at all. It is undoubtedly a way of symbolically challenging the uniform. I’m not going to say that I understand, not at all, but there is a certain “logic” in the minds of some of these young people. But our observation – and this is increasing from year to year – is that firefighters and members of emergency medical aid are also increasingly targeted. Public transport too. But why do these young people do this? What could be going on in their heads? I think this is a question to ask specialists because we need to understand. If we do nothing, what will happen next? Schools? Hospitals? Furthermore, according to what we also note on the basis of the arrests, it is that these are young people domiciled in Brussels and who were born there for the most part. It is therefore Brussels residents who attack those who watch over their own city. I absolutely can’t understand why.
-Is Brussels the only city affected by these end-of-year ruckuses?
We often hear that this happens a lot in Brussels and at the end of the year. But that’s not fair. We have found that not only does this happen more and more often throughout the year. But in addition, this is also happening in certain cities in Wallonia and Flanders, including Antwerp.
Brussels: a young girl seriously injured in the hand by a “firecracker”
These firecrackers are prohibited for sale, their use is illegal. What are you thinking of doing?
The problem arises in particular from the fact that, even if these firecrackers are actually prohibited for sale, they are easily found on Internet sites, mainly from Poland and Italy. Perhaps we should consider collaborations with the police of other countries, a bit like for drug trafficking. Some associations work professionally with these young people. That’s very good, but it’s not enough. I’m a police officer, I’m not going to start organizing football matches to keep these young people busy. The authorities must realize that we are facing a serious phenomenon that is growing.
-> Read the rest of our file : “Some young people are no longer aware of the seriousness of their actions”
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