Clashes erupted on Sunday during a demonstration against the new anti-Covid measures in Brussels, where, according to the police, tens of thousands of people participated in the rally.
The march started peacefully but the police then used water cannons and tear gas in front of a group of people throwing projectiles, an AFP photographer found.
In this clash, several demonstrators wore balaclavas and waved Flemish nationalist flags.
The face-to-face with riot control forces took place near the European quarter and the government in Brussels.
35,000 demonstrators opposed to the health pass
Some 35,000 protesters, according to police, took part in the march against the new anti-Covid measures announced by the government on Wednesday.
Protesters oppose government measures to stem the fifth wave.
KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
The demonstration held under the slogan "
Together for freedom
", mainly denounced the ban on unvaccinated people from accessing places such as restaurants and bars.
Belgium, which announced on Wednesday the generalization of the wearing of a mask, also wants to make teleworking compulsory for jobs that allow it in order to stem the strong rebound of the epidemic in the country.
Read also Covid-19: Europe reaches a record of daily contaminations since the start of the pandemic
With nearly 10,300 new infections per day on average over the past week, Belgium is back to a rate of spread of the virus that had not been reached for a year.
The country is experiencing levels of hospitalization of Covid patients that it had not recorded since May (more than 2,000 patients, including more than 25% in intensive care).
