200 youngsters barred from train after “aggressive incident”
At Mechelen-Nekkerspoel Station (Antwerp Province) a train conductor refused to admit 200 youngsters to a service bound for Brussels. The woman said she felt threatened and intends to file a complaint with Belgian railways police. The railways speak of an incident involving aggression: a number of youngsters refused to have their fares checked. They later returned home without incident on another train accompanied by the police.
Dirk Van de Sande of Mechelen police explains a group of youngsters wanted to return home after a visit to the De Nekker recreational domain. They got to the station around 8:30PM but a train conductor aboard a service that had just arrived bound for Brussels decided she wasn’t admitting the youngsters. She felt threatened and closed the doors.
The police spokesman denies there was any physical threat but the woman did feel threatened. Police can’t comment further on the complaint and the outcome of the investigation will have to be awaited.
The rail company speaks of an incident involving aggression that triggered the situation. “The passengers acted in an aggressive fashion. There was intimidation resulting in the youngsters not being able to board and the train going no further than this station” says spokesman Crols.
Police attended the scene and accompanied the youngsters to Brussels on a different train.
The recreational park earlier introduced fresh, stricter measures following a number of clashes at De Nekker. Tickets are only available online and identity is recorded. Maximum capacity has been lowered and very large groups are no longer admitted.
The measures apply to the recreational facility but the police now intend to examine how large groups of visitors can travel to and fro on public transport.
