Belgian Police Clash with Crowds Protesting COVID Restrictions

Belgian police met protesters in Brussels on Sunday during a demonstration against the government's Covid 19 measures. Due to the mass protest and violence, law enforcement was forced to use water cannons. Following the government's announcement on Friday, the protests were against tightened Covid19 restrictions, including compulsory masking for children over the age of 6 and early closure of kindergartens and primary schools starting December 20.

Police used water cannons against demonstrators who tried to throw things and break the barricades. The demonstration on Sunday took place two weeks after a similar protest became violent, with police estimating about 35,000 participants. The Belgian protest is not the only clash between police and demonstrators during a demonstration over Covid 19 measures. Two people were injured in late November after police fired a warning shot in Rotterdam, Netherland. Pepper spray was used in protests in the Austrian capital of Vienna in November, with thousands of people gathering to protest the blockade of the country's coronavirus on Saturday, and the government plans to mandate vaccination from February.

On average 17,862 new cases were reported weekly in Belgium, an increase of 6% compared to the previous week. Hospitalization increased by 4%. More than 3,700 people are hospitalized for the virus, of which 821 are in the intensive care unit. In Belgium, more than 27,000 people have died from the virus since the outbreak last year.