Police Brutality Videotaped at Belgian 9/11 Peaceful Demonstration Against "Islamization of Europe"

Life Site ^ | John-Henry Westen

[Between the Lines]

Police Brutality Videotaped at Belgian 9/11 Peaceful Demonstration Against "Islamization of Europe"

Pro-life, pro-family politicians of Flemish independence party especially targetted

By John-Henry Westen

BRUSSELS, September 12, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A September 11 demonstration against the "Islamization of Europe", where protesters planned a moment of silence to commemorate the 9/11 tragedy in the United States, was banned by the Socialist mayor of Brussels Freddy Thielemans claiming he feared "chaos and security threats".  Despite the ban, over 200 Belgians went ahead with a peaceful demonstration and joining them were the several prominent pro-life politicians.

What then transpired is something reminiscent of Tiananmen Square.  Brussels Journal reporter Paul Belien who was at the scene describes the police brutality not only with words but with photos and video. 

"Riot police units from Liege in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, maltreated the demonstrators, many of them from Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, in an excessively violent way," reports Belien.

On video police are seen brutalizing several politicians from the Vlaams Belang party and members of the European Parliament.  Vlaams Belang (VB) is currently the second most important party in Flanders and one of the largest parties in the country.

VB supports natural marriage and family life through tax reform and opposes same-sex marriage and adoption by homosexual partners. VB also opposes abortion except in cases of rape or for medical threats to a mother's life and supports relaxation of the country's strict adoption laws.  VB also proposes Flemish independence and in that respect is similar to Canada's Bloc Quebecois a large national party which proposes secession of Quebec.

Belien describes the scenes shown in the video:
"The grey-haired man whom we see being attacked by the police first is Luk Van Nieuwenhuysen, the Vice-President of the Flemish Parliament. Shortly afterwards we see the police maltreating Frank Vanhecke, a member of the European Parliament and the party leader of the Vlaams Belang. We see how he is handcuffed and pushed into a police bus. Afterwards we also see the police "taking care" of Filip Dewinter, the VB group leader in the Flemish Parliament."

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR-J8cXYVIo&eurl=http%3A%...

Note how Dewinter's hand is beaten with a baton at the end of the video. The demonstrators were kept in cells for seven hours and released.

In this photo Vanhecke is seen held by police officers while one of them pinches his scrotum. "As they did so they shouted abuse such as "Sale Flamingant" (Dirty Flemish-secessionist)," reports Belien.

Flemish television reporter Goedele Devroy told a colleague that she was amazed by the brutality of the police against the peaceful demonstrators "who just stood there." She added: "This is strange because, when I rang the police this morning, they said that they would tolerate the demonstration if the demonstrators would not use violence and if they just remained put and would not try to march."

An Italian MEP and a French MEP were also arrested. 

The Italian government has complained to the Belgian government about the arrest of Mario Borghezio, an Italian member of the European Parliament, protesting against the violation of his parliamentary immunity by the Belgians.

Belgian authorities have also heard a complaint from prominent Slovak politician Vladimir Palko.  Palko, of the Slovak Christian-Democrat Party KDH, has written Alain Cools, ambassador of Belgium in Slovakia and publicly protested against the illegitimate use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Brussels.

In his open letter, Palko wrote: "Until today, I thought that something like this is possible only in Lukashenko's Belarus, in today's Europe. Moreover, I do not understand why it is forbidden in Brussels to demonstrate against islamization of Europe. Islamization of Europe is a serious problem. We can have various opinions and disagree about solutions needed, but it is highly important to freely discuss about them."

Concluding his letter, Palko wrote: "I hope that in future we will not hear about such events anymore and that European Union where we live together will be area of liberty, not a soft-tyranny."

To express concerns to the Belgian government:

Embassy of Belgium in Washington, United States 3330, Garfield Street N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 United States Phone: +1-202-333.69.00 Fax: +1-202-333.30.79 +1-202-333.54.57 Email: Washington@diplobel.org

General Consulate of Belgium in Toronto, Canada - 2, Bloor Street West, Suite 2006, Box 88, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2. Tel: 944.14.22, 944.14.23, 944.14.24 Fax: 944.14.21 E-mail: Toronto@diplobel.org

For Belgian embassies in other countries see this list:
http://www.learn4good.com/travel/belgium_embassies.htm ;

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[NYer]

An unidentified man is arrested by police during a demonstration regarding what some believe as the Islamization of Europe in Brussels, Tuesday Sept. 11, 2007. Demonstrations were banned by the Belgian government on Tuesday and those who took part were arrested. (AP Photo/Thierry Charlier)

[freedomson]

That was truly sureal.

It was like something out of a cliche movie about the future except that it was two days ago.

[KarlInOhio]

"I hope that in future we will not hear about such events anymore

The EU will guarantee that you won't hear about it anymore by smashing the cameras of anyone there and shuting down any newspapers or TV stations trying to report it.

[processing please hold]

No protesting of islam is to be allowed.

[lilylangtree]

You can bet your booties that if the crazy islamics wanted to protest the mayor would have rolled out the red carpet and the police would never touched these crazies.

[onedoug]

Islam considers itself ultimately un-defeatable and we’re all capitulating - or having it done for us - day by day.

[3AngelaD]

"Abolish Belgium," at the link below, provides some insight into the mindset there:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070912/EDITORIAL/109120017/1013/editorial

Six years ago Claude Eerdekens, a leading Walloon Socialist and the chairman of the Naturalization Commission of the Belgian House of Representatives, admitted that his commission was granting citizenship to foreigners without investigating the applicants' backgrounds because most of the immigrants speak French rather than Dutch. "Our commission does more for the frenchification of Brussels than the Flemings can ever do to prevent it," he boasted in a newspaper interview.

All this would not have been possible if Belgium had been a democracy. Belgium's Constitution stipulates, however, that no major decisions can be taken without a majority in both parts of the country and that the government should consist of 50 percent Flemings and 50 percent Walloons. In practice this means that 20 percent of the population (i.e. half of the Walloons) can veto every decision. This has made the Parti Socialiste (PS), the largest party in Wallonia, the power broker in the country.

While capitalist-minded Flanders generates wealth (it accounts for 70 percent of Belgium's GDP and 80 percent of its exports), Wallonia, at the receiving end of a generous welfare system, spends most of the money and vetoes any attempt to reform the system. Every year 6.6 percent of Flanders' GDP is spent on welfare in Wallonia.

[live+let_live]

I note your picture. This should be the poster for freedom of speech in Europe.

Our parents and grandparents fought and died in the fields of Europe, for this?

[Berlin_Freeper]

Expectations for political unity in Iraq are astronomically comical when you see scenes like this.

[Finny]

self ping

[andy58-in-nh]

Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the right to petition government for redress of grievances: do not ever take these things for granted. Many Europeans have chosen to cede their liberties, most recently paid for in American blood, in exchange for security. They will wind up with neither freedom nor security.

[Revelation 911]

just damn fyi ping

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

"I hope that in future we will not hear about such events anymore and that European Union where we live together will be area of liberty, not a soft-tyranny."

Hate to tell him this, but Europe has been a soft-totalitarian zone since the 1950s.

[Wolfie]

Whoo hoo! Whoopin’ ass on some protesters. Gotta love it.

[VOA]

It was like something out of a cliche movie about the future except that
it was two days ago.

I bet this story is like rocket-fuel porn for Islamics.

Getting some of the dhimmis to do their bidding by hassling
other dhimmis.

The Islamics probably have to pinch themselves to convince them that
they are doing something their forebearors couldn't do back in
the 700s.
A total and successful conquest of Europe.
And no need to use the sword this time.
When they can get the useful idiots of Europe to do the job for them.

[maine-iac7]

They will wind up with neither freedom nor security

and then, once again, cry: "Help, America!"

[maine-iac7]

Whoo hoo! Whoopin’ ass on some protesters. Gotta love it.

Ahhh - did you forget a "sarg/" - or what's in your morning coffee?

[maine-iac7]

"sarg/"

oops

"sarq/"

[PapaBear3625]

"Riot police units from Liege in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, maltreated the demonstrators, many of them from Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, in an excessively violent way," reports Belien.

They used cops from the French socialist part of Belgium to suppress dissent from the Dutch capitalist part of Belgium. Classic.