Several people have been arrested in Molenbeek after consecutive days of fighting on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, reported Bruzz. The clashes seem to be the result of a dispute between two Syrian families and involved between 50 and 100 people, including minors.
Hostilities first took place on Friday evening in Moleenbeek, first in Parc Albert then in Rue d'Ostende. They resumed Saturday and Sunday, despite the heavy deployment of police in the area.
"At around 20:00 on Saturday, a confrontation took place between several people at the intersection of Rue Birmingham and Rue Léon Delacroix, in Molenbeek. No one was injured. Four people were administratively deprived of their freedom," said Willemien Baert, spokesperson for the Brussels police office.
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"On Sunday, around 11:00, a large number of people gathered again in the Rue d'Ostende in Molenbeek. After the intervention of the police, two minors were deprived of their liberty for illegally carrying a knife and damaging a vehicle. They were handed over to the public prosecutor on Monday. At the end of the afternoon, three people were intercepted and deprived of their liberty for possession of weapons. These people were released after a hearing," added Willemien Baert.
Family dispute
The fighting appears to be caused by tensions between two families after a marriage that went badly, according to the spokesperson for the mayor of Molenbeek, Rachid Barghouti. He added that "we have full confidence in the police for public order and safety and hope that the work they are currently doing on the ground will bear fruit to calm the tensions between these two families."
If necessary, the municipality can act as a mediator between the two families. But Barghouti still stressed that "that public space must be respected: you don't use sticks to resolve conflicts and you don't endanger innocent people when they walk down the street."
