Arrests made during anti-curfew demonstration in Liège
Around 400 people gathered in the centre of Liège on Saturday evening to protest against the curfew that is currently in force. The curfew that has been in force for the past 5 weeks and will remain in force until mid-January starts earlier and finishes later than it does in Flanders. While the hours of the curfew in Flanders are midnight to 5am, in Wallonia this is 10pm to 6am.
At around 11pm a remaining group of protesters was surrounded by police on the Saint-Léonard bridge and were subjected to identity card checks. Some tried to break through the police cordon and were detained.
The police say that around 400 people took part in the protest. Around 50 officers from the local and federal police services were on hand to keep order. Two vehicles equipped with water canon were also deployed. Some of the protesters dispersed at around 10:30pm.
Others were surrounded by police on the Saint-Léonard bridge. There was a heavy exchange of words between the protesters and the police. Some protesters tried to break through the police cordon and were detained. At around 11:15pm the police began checking the identities of those that were on the bridge.
This is the second demonstration in against the curfew to be held in Liège. On 17 November around 150 took part in an anti-curfew protest.