'Turbulent' New Year's Eve for Brussels police and firefighters

Brussels firefighters and emergency personnel once again faced a difficult New Year’s Eve in the capital, finding themselves the target of violence as they attempted to carry out their work helping others.

The fire brigade was the target of Molotov cocktails during an incident at Place Saint-Denis in Forest, as they responded to a total of 588 incidents throughout the night, compared with about 450 on an ordinary evening.

Those incidents included 11 fires and 30 burning vehicles, along with 56 instances of burning public property and bins and three cases of bicycles or electric scooters being set on fire.

A total of 430 ambulances were dispatched and two people were treated for injuries as a result of fireworks.

Fire brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw described it as a "turbulent night" for the brigade while expressing relief that staff suffered no serious physical injuries.

“Mentally, it's a different story, because who can understand this insane situation, where rescue workers can't work in peace and safety,” Derieuw said.

Derieuw thanked police for their cooperation, noting that so far four specific incidents of assault had been reported, including the case involving Molotov cocktails in the Forest neighbourhood.

“In the middle of an incident, our colleagues were the target of Molotov cocktails and they decoupled the fire hose as a matter of urgency, leaving it on the scene and taking the fire engine to safety while waiting for the police to intervene,” he added.

Federal fire minister Ans Persoons (Vooruit) called it “unacceptable for their safety to be compromised just when they are looking after ours. There is zero tolerance for such acts”.

Four police officers were slightly injured while working. In one case, fireworks were thrown at an officer but they were able to continue their work.

An estimated 159 people were arrested across the Brussels region during New Year’s festivities, roughly on a par with last year’s figures (160 arrests), and much lower than the previous year (206).

Most arrests were made by the Brussels-Midi and Brussels-Capital/Ixelles zones (32 each), closely followed by the West (28) and North (27) zones.

Police also conducted administrative arrests for 19 people who were caught while in the act or suspected of a crime. Most of the se arrests (11) were made in the Brussels West zone.

Many of the arrests were for vandalism, with Brussels public transport company Stib reporting damage to four buses and 11 trams during New Year’s celebrations, primarily in Schaerbeek.

Police also reported that a bus passenger was minorly injured by flying glass during an act of vandalism and was taken to the hospital where they were treated.

“Unfortunately, some vehicles were pelted with stones and several windows were broken as a result,” said Stib spokesperson Guy Sablon.

“We called in the police and the stop was subsequently not operated that night to ensure the safety of our staff.”

Despite the damage to several vehicles in its fleet, Stib said that “New Year's Eve went well overall, with no major incidents to report” and some 125,000 passengers using public transport on the night of the festivities.

Flemish public transport company De Lijn was less optimistic about vandalism to its buses during the celebrations, noting that one of its drivers suffered significant injuries in Koekelberg and that “every case of aggression is one too many”.

De Lijn spokesperson Marco Demerling said the company was cooperating with police to investigate instances of violence over New Year’s and that extra checks will be carried out, together with Stib.

Public transport vehicles were not the only ones to fall victim to vandalism, either - at least 60 cars were set on fire across multiple municipalities, more than twice as many as last year, when 19 cars were burned.

In one instance, neighbours reported dismay that the fire took place after the New Year’s celebrations were over.

“You might expect this during New Year's Eve, but not the night after,” one resident said. “This is very frightening. Previously they used to set fire to a pile of tyres in the square, but this is much closer to the houses. It could have ended badly.”

People whose cars were torched will likely have to pay out of pocket for towing costs. Whether or not they will also have to pay for the damage depends on their insurance.

“Those who don’t have comprehensive insurance must hope that the culprits will be found,” sector federation Assuralia said.

Brussels towing service Da.car said it usually has “about 10 to 12 cars” on their lot, but now has 30 burnt-out vehicles, including one electric car.

“We have to be careful with those,” said Emilio Agostini of Da.car. “A few days after the fire, they can still burn. We can’t park them indoors or next to other cars.”

Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga