Police in the East Flemish city of Ghent have arrested 4 people after a mass brawl on the Bevrijdingslaan in the Brugse Poort area of the city on Sunday evening. Footage shot by a local resident shows a group of men armed with a crow bar and sticks fighting on the street. A car was also attacked and 1 of its windows smashed. 4 men were taken to hospital, 1 of them is in a critical condition.
The fight started sometime between 7pm and 8pm on Sunday. Around 15 men armed with sticks and a crowbar started attacking each other. The East Flemish prosecutor’s office told VRT News that "8 of them were injured, 4 were taken to hospital. 2 people are still in hospital. 1 person’s condition is still life-threatening”.
"4 have since been arrested by the police. They are aged between 23 and 29. They will be questioned today. The police invegisation continues. Footage from CCTV cameras in the area is being collected and witnesses are being questioned."
A local resident told VRT News that the fight was the result of a conflict within the Jordanian community that has been ongoing for several days. Last week there was a fight between youths on the Seghersplein. The prosecutor’s office says that whether there is a connection between last week’s fight and the fight on Sunday evening still needs to be investigated.
Unrest since the spring
For several months now there has been unrest in the area around the Brugse Poort. In mid-March it was decided to carry out targeted identity checks in an effort to tackle the issue. Extra police patrols have been deployed, there have been home visits to keep tabs on young offenders and meetings organised with community groups. Despite this there was another big fight at the start of the month. 7 people were arrested then.
On Friday the city authority in Ghent announced that 4 CCTV will be installed. 1 of these is reported to be already up and running.