Dozens of inmates have yet to return to their cells after detainees revolted against staff in Forest prison Thursday evening. Staff withdrew from the prison wing where the insurrection broke out. Police are preparing to enter the prison and put inmates back in their cells, Het Nieuwsblad reported.
The revolt started at 21:00 on Thursday after discussions with the new director of Haren prison in the City of Brussels, to which the detainees from Forest and St. Gilles prisons will be transferred, did not have the outcome many prisoners had hoped for.
The detainees had for weeks asked for more information about the move and where exactly where they will be transferred. They condemned the lack of information and were unsatisfied with Haren director Jurgen Van Poecke's explanations.
Federal reinforcements and water cannon
When the meeting finished, tensions quickly rose to boiling point on Thursday evening. Inmates threw furniture around the prison, wreaking havoc. Around 50 of them refused to go back inside after a walk, and some even crawled on the roof.
Prison services have reported that the detainees are now off the roof and that police assistance has been called for. Yet prisoners in the B wing of the prison refused to return to their cells, even as the situation in wings A and C had calmed on Thursday evening.
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Negotiations were held with rebellious inmates. Yet local police in Brussels South received reinforcements from federal police Thursday evening, including a water cannon.
Thanks to the fire brigade, the electricity, which had been disabled due to the incident, was restored, making it easier for the police to intervene. No injuries were reported but there is significant material damage.
