STREET RIOT IN BELGIUM

Chronicle (Levin), 28 February 1947, Page 5

STREET RIOT IN BELGIUM

. Press Assn

Parade Derelops Into Ugly Scene

By Telegraph

.-Copyrighi

BRUSHFLS, Feb. 26. ■: About 50,000 denionst ratirig t'or pay , nient oi' ovcnlue inoney to fov-iner pn soners oi' war elashed with the poliei in a large sories oi' riots. Figliting broki out when the demonstrators tried *t break through 1 i nes oi mounted ano i'oot poliee in I'ront oi Goverrtmenl Buildings, and Ihe poi ic clubbed tliei, riffes to beat back the surging ciwd. Tio* rioters hurled bottles at ihe poliei lines and the poliee opeue.d iire witli machineguns. , Scores were 'trampled underfoot in ihe clushes and an undertermined niira ber were injured by .swords, elubs an>. flying bottles. The Minister of Publh lfealt.li ( l)r. Albert Marteaux) tvas in jureil when liu was clubbed as hernered Parliament Building. Annonred cars and reint'oreonuint.s ot regular cavalry were tlirown intO the frav. Mounted poliee charged when the head oi" the colunin oi rioter* reached Government Buildings, bnt the e.harge spent itself and the rioters presscd on, crashing through three poliee liiu-s. A flootl oi people burs. through into Parliament Kquare. Many i'ell 011 the eobblestones and olhers passed over thein, ('avalrymen swung their swords- and the i'ront oi ihe mass began to fall baelc while others ptished forward. The denionst ralors sent captured iorries crashing into the mounted |)oli(-e, some of wlioni were unhorsed and injured. Firemen i'rom the roof of Parliament direcled water ;jets against ihe lieav ing, liiilllng erowd. Ainbulanees and Red ("ross cars rush ed to Ihe scene and several arrests were made. Parliament eontinued sitting through out the disturbance until the scheduled tinie when, after the erowd had been pushed bach sutlicient lv, members left by the back way. The Minister of the Interior, M. Buisseret, said the Poliee ("liief asked him if Parliament was to be defended to the utmost which ineant the poliee opening iire, bnt he had replied that ihe poliee were not ro Jire. Howrvcr, ldank shots, iiichiding niachinegun rounds, were 1ired. The Minister adiied llial several policemen Weri- injured, oue seriously. A delegat ion oi the demonstrators was allowed into I'arliament llouse lo present elaims to the Prinre Minister Later the chief of the brisoners-of-war Assoeiation appeared at a second floor w.indow and announced that a Bill to provide t'or pensions and other benefirs for iornier prisoners oi war would be inirodueod into Parliament on February 28. Fxplaining the origin of the riot, the Dailv Mail's cori espondent sa.vs il began as an orderly parade of forrner jirisom-rs v. iio flocked from the provinces to put a case to Parliament. Denionst rators carrying slogans mareh ed to .Parliament where, they were confronteil uitii poliee arrned viih riffes, and Army cavalry with drawn swords. There was no iridieation of violence (•vi'ii when a I'ew preliminary scuflles occurred. Suddeniy the tension snapped. The men 's leaders grappled with gen darmes who smashed rifle butts into ihe assailants' l'aees. i'.ighteen demon.st.ra tors and 12 polieemen were injured.