Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Brussels Protest: “Islamisation of Europe”

BBC: Police in the Belgian capital, Brussels, have arrested two far-right political leaders at a protest against the "Islamisation of Europe".

Police clashed with some of the 200 demonstrators and dozens more people were reported to have been arrested.

The mayor of Brussels had banned the protest, held on the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US.

Frank Vanhecke and Filip Dewinter of the Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party were arrested.

Vlaams Belang has been critical of Muslim immigration to Belgium.

The mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans, banned the protest last month for fear it would cause problems with the city's immigrant population.

The protest organisers had promised a large turn-out, but the approximately 200 protesters were nearly outnumbered by police and reporters. [Source: Arrests at Brussels Islam protest]

Mark Alexander