Various far-right groups, including the anti-migrant Generation Identitaire movement, demonstrated in Belgium's notorious Molenbeek district, the notorious terrorist breeding ground of the Belgian capital, on Saturday. At the same time, leftist groups held counter-rallies. Though the demonstrations were banned in Brussels following the March attacks, several rallies still took place in Belgian capital.
Since the attacks in Brussels Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station that rocked the Belgian capital on March 22, Belgium has been on high alert, while tension between various local groups and migrants has escalated to unprecedented levels, confirmed by today's events, when according to local news, at an anti-racism rally in the Brussels district of Molenbeek, the police clashed with hundreds of youths. Later, police temporarily closed the area after the police made 19 arrests at the Place de la Bourse, according to RTL
Thirteen rioters were arrested in the neighborhood which appears like a warzone.
@B3zero https://t.co/MN1O3v4gJS
— B3zero (@B3zero) April 2, 2016
#Molenbeek en sécurité pic.twitter.com/2hdLduXD2P
— samirlebelge (@samirlebelge) April 2, 2016
Happening Now - Brussels police detains about 30 peaceful anti racists chanting at place de la bourse pic.twitter.com/bkT4i4NWMU
— denise reese (@denice_ruptly) April 2, 2016
According to RT, at least two armed far-right activists with Molotov cocktail arrested in the Molenbeek district.
But the most shocking and violent moment took place when a car drove toward the police line, spraying a fire extinguisher. While driving off, the Audi hit a woman head on, according to twitter reports.
The video below captures the moment of impact of what RT reports, was a Muslim woman wearing a hijab, without so much as slowing down, as she bounces off the bonnet. The woman was taken to hospital immediately afterwards
Viewer discretion advised.
The perpetrator, who the Belgian media say is a resident of Molenbeek, has since reportedly been arrested.
#Molenbeek #zonderwoorden #nocomment #perplexe pic.twitter.com/pSKINbUXMv
— brussels mood (@brusselsmood) April 2, 2016
And as the world becomes witness to increasing violence by both sides, one thing is certain: Molenbeek residents will feel compelled to escalate their acts of violence even more in the next inevitable attack, which in turn will lead to an even more violent response, and so on until deadly violence between assorted groups of people is a daily fixture across Europe.