BRUSSELS (AP) – Police have detained 132 people who took part in an illegal party in a Brussels park to protest COVID-19 restrictions, authorities said Sunday.
About 15 people, including protesters and police, were injured in clashes, police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said.
TOPSHOT – A protester is hit by a water cannon during clashes with riot police at the Bois de La Cambre park in Brussels, on May 1, 2021, during the second edition of the unauthorized ‘La Boum – L’Abime’ festival, a protest against the Covid-19 health restrictions. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Police attempt to disperse gatherers at the Bois de la Cambre park during a party called “La Boum 2” in Brussels, Saturday, May 1, 2021. Police put on extra patrols Saturday to monitor the gathering which is being held in defiance of Belgium’s current COVID-19 regulations. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
About 2,000 revelers and protesters had massed in the park Saturday for the second time in a month, and police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse them.
Police in riot gear and on horseback form a line at the Bois de la Cambre park during a gathering called “La Boum 2” in Brussels, Saturday, May 1, 2021. Police put on extra patrols Saturday to monitor the gathering which is being held in defiance of Belgium’s current COVID-19 regulations. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
Belgian police officers arrest a protester during the second edition of the unauthorized ‘La Boum – L’Abime’ festival, a protest against the Covid-19 health restrictions, at the Bois de La Cambre park in Brussels on May 1, 2021. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Scattered around, police and protesters clashed until deep in the evening. The government and police had warned people for a week to stay away from the party to no avail. Clashes erupted after big crowds started gathering late in the afternoon.
Police chase protestors through the woods of the Bois de la Cambre park during a party called “La Boum 2” in Brussels, Saturday, May 1, 2021. A few thousand people gathered for an illegal party in a Brussels park Saturday to protest COVID-19 restrictions, only to be met with a big police force who used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. It was the second such open-air gathering in a month. (AP Photo/Valeria Mongelli)
A police officer detains a man in the woods of the Bois de la Cambre park during a party called “La Boum 2” in Brussels, Saturday, May 1, 2021. A few thousand people gathered for an illegal party in a Brussels park Saturday to protest COVID-19 restrictions, only to be met with a big police force who used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. It was the second such open-air gathering in a month. (AP Photo/Valeria Mongelli)
Some protesters gathered around a bonfire shouting “Freedom!” and “Where is the party? Here is the party!” Some pelted the police with objects.
Belgium still has strict rules banning major gatherings and insists on people wearing face masks in large crowds.