a report from Brussels

Altermedia report from Brussels. The 2nd half of the report is inside jail. You ca see several top EU MPs entering their cells

Report of the Flemish TV

On September 11th 2007, several European organizations and political parties organized a march to honor those who died in the attacks allegedly committed by Muslim extremists six years ago. The march was also intended as a protest against the ever increasing expansion of Islam in European society.

In order to please his Muslim constituency, the socialist mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans, or Red Fred, has banned the march. Since the march was banned, a couple of hundred people, among whom several Belgian and European members of parliament, thus decided to gather in two different places in Brussels. Red Fred sent the police to brutally repress the peaceful gatherings. After all, the people were guilty of not sharing his point of view, or at least not that of his Islamic constituency.

About 160 people, who had committed no crime what so ever, were arrested. Among those arrested was Kris Roman who had nothing to do with the protest. He was only there to film the event for Altermedia. The police also illegally arrested several European members of parliament despite the fact that they were protected by parliamentary immunity. Had this happened in Russia, it would have made the headlines of all western media for weeks, the US department of state and the European commission would have lectured Putin on democracy and the rights of the press and on free speech. But since it happened in Brussels, the capital city of neo Sovietic, and self proclaimed human rights champion, the European Union, almost all mainstream media, except for the Flemish media, downplayed or ignored this illegal and brutal civil rights violation.

The treatment in prison was quite harsh. Our correspondent, Kris Roman, shared a cell with eleven other prisoners. They had to share two bottles of water and got only a waffle each during the eight hours they were detained. The detention conditions were so bad that one inmate suffered a heart attack.

Kris Roman was able to keep his camera in prison, and he used it. On his film we can see several MPs entering their cells, among them were the chairman of the Vlaams Belang, Frank Vanhecke, Flemish MP Filip Dewinter, and French EU MP Karl Lang. At the end of the video you see one man being evacuated from prison after suffering a heart attack.

After his release, Kris Roman talked to, Hugo Coveliers, the lawyer who negotiated the release of the prisoners. Mr Coveliers told Altermedia that Freddy Thielemans insisted on keeping them in jail for twelve hours, which is the maximum length of time people can be held without charges. Mr Coveliers informed Red Fred that in this case, the city of Brussels would have to provide them proper meals. So they decided the free them after eight hours instead!

The second video is a report from the Flemish TV. You can see Mr Vanhecke, who is chairman of one of Belgium’s most important parties, and Flemish MP Dewinter, being assaulted by the police. The irony is that the police are planning to file a complaint against Mr Dewinter for resisting his illegal arrest. He was indeed protected by his immunity, and thus couldn’t be arrested legally.

E.d’Aubignosc

Altermedia report from Brussels. The 2nd half of the report is inside jail. You ca see several top EU MPs entering their cells