Serious unrest erupted over the New Year festivities in parts of Belgium, with migrant youngsters being blamed for outbreaks of rioting, arson and attacks on security forces.
During the celebrations in Brussels, youths set Christmas trees and public bins ablaze, triggering interventions from fire departments who were then targeted by the rioters. They also threw Molotov cocktails and firebombs at the police who tried to prevent further damage.
Firefighters responded to 30 vehicle blazes, including trams, buses and cars, and 56 incidents involving burning street furniture or rubbish bins. In total, they managed 11 larger fires and assisted two individuals injured by fireworks. Additionally, a number of bicycles and electric scooters were torched.
Brussels police made 159 arrests.
More than 5,500 fireworks were seized on New Year’s Eve by officers in Brussels North police zone (Schaerbeek, Evere and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode), the force said in a statement on January 1.
The police and rescue services were targeted on several occasions by rioters hurlings fireworks, with four officers injured. Several police vehicles were also damaged.
Sociology professor Walter Weyns told HLN news outlet that arson on New Year’s Eve had become a “tradition”.
In reaction to the unrest, Brussels Secretary of State Ans Persoons said: “New Year’s Eve must be a celebration.”
Persoons, in charge of Fire Fighting and Emergency Medical Aid, added: “Unfortunately, in many places in Brussels, this was not the case for our rescue workers and firefighters.
“It is unacceptable that their safety is compromised while they are looking out for ours. There is no tolerance for such acts,” the Socialist politician said.
Theo Francken, MP for the centre-right N-VA Party, said the violence was “the result of decades of socialism, mass migration and ‘laissez faire, laissez passer’ policy”.
“What rules of engagement exist at the moment for such an act of aggression? New Year’s Eve in Brussels means civil war for the street scum.
“Every year it gets worse and the police seem like sitting ducks. They don’t even dare fire back when they are attacked by a guy with a deadly firework bazooka,” Francken said.
He called for federal level discussions on the problem and clear guidelines for the police, as “local mayors have long since lost control of the problems or, worse still, enjoy the chaos, as in hellhole [Brussels municipality] Molenbeek with the extreme left-wing [Mayor Catherine] Moureaux”.
The hard-right Vlaams Belang party called for zero tolerance and tough measures against the youths involved.
“On New Year’s Eve, we repeatedly witness the result of yet another year of complacency, mass migration and a government that, under the guise of political correctness, fails to speak the truth,” said Bob De Brabandere, Vlams Belang leader in the Brussels Parliament.
“It’s time to finally draw the right conclusions and translate them into policy actions: The public will no longer tolerate this,” he added.
“The complete decline of entire neighbourhoods due to impunity must be stopped. Identify the areas where most problems occur and literally clean them up.
“Repeat offenders should face severe penalties, and parents must also be held accountable — not through a friendly chat, but with deterrent sanctions.
“The police must also be allowed to do their job: stop the endless discussions about ‘ethnic profiling’ and ‘police violence.’ The police must also be allowed to do their job: stop the endless discussions about ‘ethnic profiling’ and ‘police violence,’” De Brabandere said.
“Many Brussels residents who do nothing wrong live in daily fear in their neighbourhoods. Make them the priority, not the scum that constantly uses the so-called ‘lack of opportunities’ as an excuse to make life miserable for Brussels residents all year round — not just on New Year’s Eve,” he added.
In Brussel werden auto’s, steps en deelfietsen in brand gestoken en in Antwerpen en Gent daagde eveneens allochtoon tuig de politie uit met zwaar vuurwerk dat gebruikt werd als wapen. Tijd voor zerotolerantie en de harde aanpak. De angst moet opnieuw van kamp veranderen! pic.twitter.com/SRrLbfBqjG
— Vlaams Belang (@vlbelang) January 1, 2025
Elsewhere, the mayor of Anderlecht Fabrice Cumps said there were fewer incidents than a year ago but they were more violent.
Journalists covering the unrest there were chased away by rioting youths. A cobblestone was thrown through a camera crew’s car window.
In the Anderlecht district of Cureghem, young people under 16 had been prohibited from going out on the streets on New Year’s Eve without a parent or guardian.
In the port city of Antwerp there were similar scenes of violence and arson. Police arrested 49 people.
Anticipating the riots, mayors in Brussels and Antwerp had already put several migrant youngsters known to have been involved in unrest before under pre-emptive house arrests on curfew.
Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever said that 60 per cent of those under house arrest had complied, which he said he considered a positive result.
One youngster was arrested on New Year’s Eve for his participation in the incidents that did occur, while others who broke the curfew will be fined, he said.
The Antwerp police said this year was “calmer than in previous years” and they had recorded fewer incidents with fewer people arrested than last year.
A local mosque had organised special activities for youngsters on New Year’s Eve, including a FIFA tournament, a quiz and free food.
