BRUSSELS — Belgian police arrested 45 people, including 12 minors, after protests in the eastern city of Liege escalated into clashes, vandalism and fires on Saturday, local media reported Sunday.Police said the arrests included 40 administrative detentions and five judicial arrests, according to an updated statement cited by Belgium’s Belga news agency.The unrest intensified Saturday evening when approximately 50 protesters gathered in Place Saint-Lambert and fired pyrotechnic mortars toward the historic Prince-Bishops’ Palace.Police responded with water cannons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.Authorities also reported incidents of vandalism and fires in public areas during the evening.Police said calm appeared to have returned later that night.The demonstrations had begun peacefully earlier Saturday, with between 200 and 250 people gathering outside Guillemins railway station at approximately 10 a.m.Protesters subsequently marched toward Place Saint-Lambert, where they staged a sit-in that disrupted bus services.At around 1:15 p.m., demonstrators moved toward the Le Cadran area, blocking several roads and disrupting traffic.According to Belga, protesters obstructed access to the motorway toward Burenville, while some moved roadside barriers to construct makeshift barricades.Later in the afternoon, approximately 30 protesters were surrounded by at least an equal number of riot police in Place Saint-Lambert.The protests eventually escalated into confrontations with security forces, prompting police intervention and multiple arrests.BRUSSELS — Belgian police arrested 45 people, including 12 minors, after protests in the eastern city of Liege escalated into clashes, vandalism and fires on Saturday, local media reported Sunday.Police said the arrests included 40 administrative detentions and five judicial arrests, according to an updated statement cited by Belgium’s Belga news agency.The unrest intensified Saturday evening when approximately 50 protesters gathered in Place Saint-Lambert and fired pyrotechnic mortars toward the historic Prince-Bishops’ Palace.Police responded with water cannons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.Authorities also reported incidents of vandalism and fires in public areas during the evening.Police said calm appeared to have returned later that night.The demonstrations had begun peacefully earlier Saturday, with between 200 and 250 people gathering outside Guillemins railway station at approximately 10 a.m.Protesters subsequently marched toward Place Saint-Lambert, where they staged a sit-in that disrupted bus services.At around 1:15 p.m., demonstrators moved toward the Le Cadran area, blocking several roads and disrupting traffic.According to Belga, protesters obstructed access to the motorway toward Burenville, while some moved roadside barriers to construct makeshift barricades.Later in the afternoon, approximately 30 protesters were surrounded by at least an equal number of riot police in Place Saint-Lambert.The protests eventually escalated into confrontations with security forces, prompting police intervention and multiple arrests.
Belgian police arrest 45, including 12 minors, as protests turn violent in Liege
