A ban on public gatherings will remain in force in Ghent for the time being. The ban has been extended until Sunday 7 April. The city imposed the ban last week after groups of young men vandalised 3 Kurdish businesses. Last weekend it remained calm in the East Flemish capital, but the city authorities do not want to take any risks.
"We’ve been advised to keep the assembly ban in place for the next few days," said acting mayor Sofie Bracke (Flemish liberal/Open VLD), after consulting with the police. "There will be an evaluation at the weekend, after which the ban may possibly be lifted."
Under the ban no groups of 10 or more people will be allowed to gather in seven areas between the hours of 9pm and 5am.
The city authorities imposed the ban on Thursday as tensions between the city’s large Turkish and Kurdish communities threatened to spiral further out of control. 3 Kurdish businesses were vandalised overnight, presumably by groups of men of Turkish origin.
The incidents began in the aftermath of the celebration of a pre-Islamic spring festival. In Limburg, clashes between people from the Turkish and Kurdish communities degenerated into riots, with people getting injured. The violence later spilled over to other areas including Ghent.
Relaxation for Lesser Eid (Eid al-Fitr)
Around 30 people were detained since the tensions started. During the weekend, calm returned. There were no significant incidents. Still, the city authorities are taking a precautionary approach and are thus keeping the ban on public gatherings in place for now.
It looks likely the ban will be lifted on Monday. That will be just in time for the Muslim holiday of Lesser Eid (Eid al-Fitr) and celebrations to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. "That could happen provided there is no new flare-up of incidents," Ms Bracke stated.