12 protesters were arrested during the weekly pro-Palestine demonstration up in Antwerp on Monday evening. One of them is Aimen Horch, the leader of the Flemish green party Groen. According to the police, Aimen Horch and the others resisted when the police attempted to push them back away from a narrow street near city hall towards the Groenplaats square. According to Groen city councillor Meyrem Almaci, Horch was doing nothing wrong.
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Flemish Green Party leader Horch arrested at pro-Palestine demo in Antwerp (VIDEO)
Colin Clapson
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Just like last week, the police were once again out in force at a protest organised by the Antwerp Coalition for Palestine. The group takes to the streets every week to call on Antwerp’s city council to sever ties with the State of Israel.
In recent weeks, the protest has centred on the Israeli flag flying at Antwerp city hall together with the flags of all the nations that Antwerp has ties with. The city council was due to discuss the matter again yesterday evening.
Police confirm Horch among those arrested
Local police confirmed the arrest of 12 protesters, including Aimen Horch. According to the police, the arrests were made on account of disturbing the public order.
“The protesters were on the Kaasrui, which is not permitted,” said police spokesperson Kim Bastiaens. “The streets are too narrow, and the outdoor cafés were very busy. That is why they were pushed back towards the Groenplaats. Horch put up fierce resistance during that operation, which hindered the dispersal and consequently created an unsafe situation.”
Green Party councillor Meyrem Almaci was also present at the protest. According to her, Horch did nothing wrong. “He wasn’t trying to provoke anyone, he was simply standing amongst the protesters. When they were pushed back, he couldn’t get away and was caught in a pincer movement by the police.”
Israeli flag heightens tensions
The flag of the State of Israeli once again flies from Antwerp City Hall as is the custom during the tourist season but given the events in Gaza and the wider Middle East the flag is not uncontroversial.
Today’s weekly protest coincided with the monthly meeting of the city council. The protesters wanted to put pressure on the governing coalition on the council, Flemish nationalist N-VA and Flemish socialist Vooruit and encourage them to stop flying the Israeli flag.
The N-VA is determined to keep it flying, while Vooruit is fiercely opposed, but as they cannot reach an agreement, the situation is at an impasse.
