The Brussels prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that it opened an investigation into “involuntary manslaughter” after a 23-year-old black man lost consciousness at a police station shortly after being arrested. He later died in the hospital.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Liedts square in the center of Brussels. The video of the scene showed fights as protesters threw rocks and projectiles while the police fired a water cannon.
Some protesters carried Black Lives Matter signs and shouted, “We want the truth.”
King Philip of Belgium’s car was “briefly stuck” nearby, the palace told CNN, and the vehicle was hit by some projectiles launched at police officers surrounding the monarch’s convoy.
The king himself was not the target and “his safety was never threatened,” they said.
A death in police custody
The death that precipitated Wednesday’s protests came on Saturday after police “checked in” on a group of people who had met despite coronavirus measures limiting public meetings, a prosecution statement said.
A man – identified as Ibrahima B. by the lawyer representing his family – “fled on foot and was detained for questioning by the police,” according to the prosecutor’s testimony.
“Upon reaching the police station, IB lost consciousness and the officers present called the emergency room. An ambulance and an emergency team arrived at the scene and IB was taken to the hospital. He died in the hospital at 8:22 pm, ”he said. the statement added.
Speaking at a demonstration on his death on Wednesday, family lawyer Alexis Deswaef told Belgian television: “I know one thing – if this was my son, who is white and of the same age, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Deswaef told CNN that “they told the family that their son had a cardiac abnormality”, but that “it would not be the only cause of death”.
Drug tests “show traces of narcotics,” added the lawyer, but “would not explain the death.”
In response to the protests, Commissioner General of the Federal Police, Marc De Sameeker, said on Thursday: “We can understand that emotions are rising … but the way it was done is completely unacceptable.”
He accused protesters of committing acts of “vandalism” and said five police officers were injured in the protests.
Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said on Wednesday on Twitter: “We cannot in any way accept what happened today … Protesters will not escape with impunity.”