Following a weekend of violent anti-police protests, calm has been restored in Herstal, province of Liège, the acting Mayor Jean-Louis Lefebvre announced on Monday morning.
The violence was in response to a police officer shooting a young man who was riding a quad bike on Friday. According to Lefebvre, calm was restored after the deployment of a large number of police officers which acted as a deterrent.
"Together with the police, we had taken preventive measures to prevent any night-time outbursts again. Patrols carried out checks whenever anything looked suspicious," detailed the mayor. The Liège Fire Brigade also did not carry out any operations in the area.
The clashes took place in the Liege region, after a quad bike driver was killed by the police in Oupeye on Friday. Credit: Belga / Laurent Cavenati
Clashes between the police and several individuals gathered around the La Préalle district in Herstal, had broken out on Saturday night.
No one was injured, but there was considerable material damage to bus shelters, and various items on the street were set on fire. The windows of some houses and buildings were also damaged.
This violence follows the assassination of a young man shot dead by a police officer in Oupeye, near Herstal, on Friday.
The victim had refused to comply with a police check before hitting and running over an officer with his quad bike. The latter’s colleague then opened fire twice, hitting the fugitive in the head through his helmet.
