AntwerpAfter Morocco’s victory at the World Cup, the police deployed the water cannon on Sint-Bernardsesteenweg on Kiel in Antwerp around 9 p.m. tonight. Some hotheads were arrested. Fathers who made a human chain several times were eventually sprayed wet themselves. They do not understand the reaction of the police. According to the police, the danger became too great because revelers kept shooting flares.
After the victory against Spain, the Sint-Bernardsesteenweg on the Kiel quickly filled up with partying young people and adults, sometimes with small children. Everyone was over the moon. The fireworks were loud at times, but no one took offense.
A small group of young people wearing mouth masks and balaclavas walked around nervously and menacingly, but the crowd ignored them. At the tram stop, a small orchestra formed with the traditional Moroccan wind instruments and hand drums. Everyone sang and danced along. And of course filmed the party for the family who couldn’t be there at the Kiel.
Police were nowhere to be seen until 8:30 p.m. By that time, the group of revelers had already thinned out considerably. Then a column of assault vehicles drove up Sint-Bernardsesteenweg with the water cannon in the lead. Moroccan fathers quickly made a human chain and chased the revelers back. Meanwhile, the civilian arrest teams had arrested a few hotheads.
Around 9 p.m. the police then came into action and chased everyone back. To the chagrin of the fathers who were the first to be sprayed with water by the water cannon. The youths fled.
“Why was this action still necessary? Everyone saw that the group of young people was getting smaller and that the fathers had them under control. I don’t understand why there isn’t more consultation with us,” said one of the disappointed fathers afterwards.
Fire arrows
Police spokesman Wouter Bruyns explains: “We are very proud of the efforts of, among others, the neighborhood fathers in both neighborhoods (Borgerhout/Kiel). At one point on the Kiel, fireworks arrows were shot from the partygoers at the police, the police building and at the neighborhood fathers themselves. We have asked the neighborhood fathers several times to make room for the police. At a certain point, the risk of physical injury became too great, and we had no choice but to use the spray truck.”
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