Two Brussels minors who attacked lifeguards or supervisors on Monday at the Blaarmeersen, a Ghent Park with a swimming pond, have been banned from going there for a month.
The mayor of Ghent, Mathias De Clercq, indicated on Friday that the ban applied to all recreational activities.
“The facts are so serious, blows and injuries to rescuers and supervisors, that they complicate the optimal functioning of the place,” Mayor De Clerq said. He added that the measures were necessary to restore order.
In early July, a ban was slapped on a person who caused unrest at the Blaarmeersen. Mayor De Clercq appeared inclined to appeal to the Office of the Brussels Prosecutor since many young people leave the capital to relax in the Ghent recreational area. “We really want the Brussels public prosecutor’s office to do something,” the mayor explained.
He believed, however, that a “different approach” was necessary for minors, one that allows young people “to be confronted with the seriousness of the facts” and which works on “rehabilitation” with the direct entourage of the youngster.
Lifeguards and supervisors intervened on Monday when they saw that the two young people were causing discontent at the slide of the swimming pond. A fight ensued and a supervisor had to be sent to hospital with a broken jaw and concussion.
