The president of the MR denounces “laxity” and calls for sanctions.
Georges-Louis Bouchez spoke about the riots that took place in Liège this Saturday, on the sidelines of the peaceful demonstration “Black lives matter”. The president of the MR said he was “shocked to see some media explain the violence in Liège”.
“I had a very modest childhood, without any certainty about the future, I never broke a bus shelter. These thugs are scum that must be punished. Laxity has failed and must end. “
A “Black lives matter” demonstration of a few dozen people was held on Saturday afternoon at Place Saint-Lambert in Liège. This rally was planned as part of the judicial arrest for rebellion of a lady on Monday morning, Place Saint-Lambert.
In total, there were between 200 and 300 thugs in the streets of Liège on Saturday afternoon, from Liège and its outskirts, but also from Brussels. They committed acts of looting, theft and damage using the pretext of a “Black lives matter.” During the events, 36 police officers were injured and a dozen arrests have already been carried out.
Organized thugs and a strategy to review for the Liège police
The thugs were organized and a new strategy will have to be considered to identify these movements, affirmed Sunday morning the chief of the police force of Liege and the burgomaster Willy Demeyer during a press conference at the town hall of Liege on the violence that had occurred the day before.
According to Liège police chief Christian Beaupère, it was an organized and planned movement. “We felt an organization because they arose in a few minutes and in the way of proceeding, we see that it is not a first attempt. These 200 to 300 people are not only Liège residents, there are Brussels residents and people who come from the outskirts of Liège, ”he explained.
Faced with this phenomenon, the mayor of Liège Willy Demeyer explained that the city would have to change the way it monitors and anticipates this kind of organization on social networks. “We will have to adapt to situations, especially with social networks. Our strategy must be reviewed, ”he said.
Another growing phenomenon is the publication of videos of police interventions. In this regard, a few hundred bodycams have already been ordered and the intervention agents of the Liège police zone should be equipped with them in the coming weeks. These small cameras will allow both citizens and police officers to film and listen to the interventions.
An even new phenomenon that Willy Demeyer now wishes to take into account. “When videos of interventions are published on social networks, the police find themselves in the inferiority because they cannot communicate on the file because of the secrecy of the instruction. We are going to work with the police to improve the training of police officers ”, explained the bourgmestre. The goal will be in particular to better prepare the police officers to react when a person films an intervention.