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Belgian protester in anti-racism protests: a dozen arrests
Photo: JOHN THYS / AFP
After massive riots on the verge of a protest against racism in Liège, Belgium, around a dozen people were arrested, including at least one minor.
According to media reports, some of the demonstrators are said to have pelted the police with stones and used tear gas.
According to the police, 36 officers were injured and nine of them were taken to hospital.
On Sunday only one of the people was in inpatient treatment.
The riots occurred on the fringes of a "Black Lives Matter" demonstration, which was initially peaceful.
The participants protested the controversial arrest of a woman from the Congo.
This accused the security forces of violence and racism, which the police rejected.
The woman has since filed a complaint.
Police suspect planned damage
During the riots in the East Belgian city, shops and fast food outlets were attacked and some were looted.
The officials believe that the damage was planned and that the arrest of a woman was only used as an excuse.
The 200 to 300 people came from different places and showed up within a few minutes to cause the damage, said Liège police chief Christian Beaupère.
Mayor Willy Demeyer promised the affected shop owners financial help.
In fact, the riots should only have happened at the end of the demonstration and originally came from a few participants.
A police spokeswoman reported that they attacked an officer on a motorcycle.
The police had initially called on the residents of Liège to avoid the center of the city and were deployed with more than 250 emergency services and three water cannons.
In Belgium there were a number of anti-racism protests within the police force over the past year.
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rai / dpa / AFP