Riot police use water cannon on the streets of Brussels: 'Peace' march organised in wake of terror attacks is hijacked by far-right protesters making Nazi salutes
- Violent scenes as scuffles break out between far-right demonstrators and pro-migrant groups in central Brussels
- Police used a water cannon amid heightened tensions as up to a thousand 'hooligans' arrived wearing black clothes
- Protesters had been seen making Nazi salutes and there are reports flowers left at the scene have been trampled
- See more news on the aftermath of the Brussels attacks at www.dailymail.co.uk/BrusselsAttacks
Riot police have descended on the centre of Brussels today after hundreds of far-right protesters hijacked a peace march in the Belgian capital.
They gathered at Place de la Bourse in Brussels this afternoon and unfurled a banner denouncing ISIS before police used a water cannon on the angry crowd.
In scenes that compounded a week of grief for Belgians, protesters calling themselves 'The Nation' were seen making Nazi salutes as they became embroiled in a heated argument with pro-migrant groups.
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Hundreds moved in and occupied the steps of the stock exchange building with some making Nazi salutes as disgusted crowds watched on
Demonstration: Right-wing protesters arrived en masse this afternoon and unfurled banners in front of the old stock exchange in Brussels
Vandals kicked over bins and launched plant pots through the air as they retreated following the police advance this afternoon
There are reports that scuffles have broken out between the two groups and that some of the floral tributes left at the scene have been trampled
Police wearing white helmets moved alongside a truck with a water cannon as they attempted to disperse the crowd of protesters today
There were reports this afternoon that about ten far-right hooligans had been arrested following the clash in Place de la Bours, Brussels
A man is detained near the Place de la Bourse after hundreds of far-right protesters clash with riot police in central Brussels today
White helmeted police unleashed a water jet to push the group - some of whom were masked - away from the square prompting shouts of 'This is our home'. Plain-clothed police also used batons as they tried to control the crowd.
The chaotic scenes unfolded at the site of a memorial for the victims of the terror attacks in Brussels on Tuesday which claimed the lives of 31 people.
Belgians were planning to gather today in solidarity and defiance in central Brussels to remember victims of the country's worst-ever terror attacks.
The chaotic scenes unfolded at the site of a memorial for the victims of the terror attacks in Brussels on Tuesday which claimed the lives of 31 people
Hundreds gathered at Place de la Bourse in Brussels this afternoon and unfurled a banner denouncing ISIS before police deployed a water cannon on angry crowds
About 450 hooligans wearing black shirts then arrived in the square, apparently drunk, this afternoon and waved banners and flares
There are reports that scuffles have broken out between the two groups and that some of the floral tributes left at the scene have been trampled
Eyewitnesses say some of those who were there to pay their respects have been left in tears and begging with the men, dressed in black, to leave the scene
There were ugly scenes as demonstrators invaded the rally around the makeshift memorial in tribute to the victims of the Brussels terror attacks
In a bid to allow police to devote all their resources to tracking down the Islamic State cell linked to Tuesday's Brussels attacks and the November carnage in Paris, officials asked organisers to postpone an Easter Sunday march.
Public broadcaster RTBF said up to 1,000 hooligans wearing black shirts had arrived in the square this afternoon. Others estimated that there were closer to 500 participants.
Scuffles soon broke out between the two groups and floral tributes left at the scene were trampled.
Eyewitnesses say some of those who were there to pay their respects have been left in tears and begging with the men, dressed in black, to leave the scene.
Police unleashed a powerful water jet as they pushed back a crowd of black-clad, far-right protesters in the heart of Brussels today
Violence: Far-right protesters went on the rampage as part of a demonstration following the twin terror attacks on Brussels last week
There are reports that scuffles have broken out between the two groups and that some of the floral tributes left at the scene have been trampled
A group that was previously occupying the square shouted back: 'We are all the children of immigrants' and 'Fascists here, we don't want you!'
Scores of people were gathered around the mass of flowers, candles and messages that have been left in front of the ornate former Brussels stock exchange which has been draped in flags and messages of support and sympathy
At least one of the far-right protesters was seen being taken into custody by plainclothed officers, with scores of police present backed up by their massive blue and white water cannon trucks
There were reports this afternoon that about ten far-right hooligans had been arrested amid violent scenes this afternoon
Police urged the mourners, who included some Muslims, not to provoke the hooligans, but some joined in chanting 'Fascists! Fascists! We're not having it!'
Riot police with shields corralled the hooligans before dispersing them with high power water jets, and marshalling them onto trains out of the city
According to NBC News, a group that was previously occupying the square shouted back: 'We are all the children of immigrants' and 'Fascists here, we don't want you!'
At least one of the far-right protesters was seen being taken into custody, with scores of police present backed up by their massive blue and white water cannon trucks. But there were reports this afternoon that about ten far-right hooligans had been arrested.
'This is our home' and 'The state, Daesh accomplice,' the hooligans shouted in unison, using an alternate term for the ISIS that claimed Tuesday's suicide bombings.
Eyewitnesses said some of the many floral tributes were trampled amid chaotic scenes in the Belgian capital this afternoon
Casualty: An injured woman is led away as right wing demonstrators protest at a memorial site at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels today
Preparations: Riot police line up as right wing demonstrators protest at a memorial site at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels
Ugly scenes: 'This is our home' and 'The state, Daesh accomplice,' the hooligans shouted in unison, using an alternate term for the ISIS that claimed Tuesday's suicide bombings
Police arrived en masses as trouble started to brew amid heightened tensions today. Belgium's interior minister had appealed to residents not to march Sunday in Brussels in solidarity with the victims
Riot police with water cannons have descended on the centre of Brussels today after far-right 'anti-ISIS' protesters held hijacked a peace march in the Belgian capital
Unrest: Protesters started to throw around bins as they retreated from the square having faced police water cannons
Argument: Crowds were involved in scuffles as tensions boiled over during demonstrations in Brussels
As well as the Belgian riot squad, plainclothes police officers with batons were also called in to break up the demonstration.
Scores of people were gathered around the mass of flowers, candles and messages that have been left in front of the ornate former Brussels stock exchange which has been draped in flags and messages of support and sympathy.
'We are football hooligans, we don't have anything to do with politics,' said Andres, one of the demonstrators. 'We are here for the victims and to pay our respects.'
Adrian Liston, who was present at the vigil, told the BBC that the memorial had been disrupted by a 'bunch of skinheads' who had turned up 'in force'.
Conflict: A huge police truck was brought in as police used water cannons to disperse a crowd of up to a thousand far-right protesters
Anger: a woman shouts at a far-right protester walking among the many floral tributes left in the centre of Brussels this afternoon
A masked protester holds a Belgian flag aloft during the right wing rally after a large group invaded the square outside the stock exchange building
A police officer moves in among floral tributes in an area outside the stock exchange in Brussels as tensions mounted after the square was invaded by hundreds of football hooligans
On guard: Police lined up to move the protesters but eventually had to use a water canon when they were unable to disperse them at the first time of asking
'They marched into the square and started a major confrontation with the peace protesters,' he added.
'At this point they were really starting to get in the face of the peace protesters, the face of the police, setting off flares, setting off fireworks, and chanting stuff that was really quite ugly.'
Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned the demonstrations. 'It is highly inappropriate that protesters have disrupted the peaceful reflection at the Bourse (stock exchange). I strongly condemn these disturbances,' he said according to Belga news agency.
The mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, described the crowd as scoundrels and said they had come into Brussels from other towns, in particular Antwerp.
Ranks of riot police, carrying shields, hemmed in the crowd and then gradually pushed the protesters back into a street where water cannon trucks opened up
Sickening: Masked and hooded men could be seen trampling the many tributes left outside the stock exchange in Brussels
Menacing: Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned the demonstrations and called their actions 'highly inappropriate'
The protesters unfurled a huge banner saying 'Casuals against terrorism' as they invaded the square this afternoon
Confrontation: Arguments broke out as tensions grew outside the stock exchange this afternoon. Police soon moved in and unleashed water canons
'I am appalled at what has happened, to see that such scoundrels come here to provoke people at their place of homage,' he said.
Meanwhile, Belgian police are questioning four new terror suspects after a series of dawn raids across the country.
A total of nine people were detained after raids in Brussels and the northern cities of Mechelen and Duffel this morning. Five were released after questioning and four remain in custody.
The raids are linked to a 'federal case regarding terrorism', according to the federal prosecutor, but it was not clear whether they were tied to the attacks this week in which 31 people were killed. Earlier another suspect was charged over his involvement with a terrorist group.
The man, identified as Abderamane A., was shot in the leg by police on Friday in the city's Schaerbeek district because he was carrying a rucksack police believed contained a bomb.
Police officers detain a right wing demonstrators protest at a memorial site at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels
A masked man was restrained by officers before being pinned to the ground amid violent scenes in the Belgian capital today
Response: Police with helmets, shields and batons were called in along with a giant truck as they prepared to disperse the crowds
Hooded: A maked man raises a fist and the Belgian flag in defiance outside the stock exchange in Brussels
He was detained in connection to a related raid in France on Thursday that the government said foiled a 'major terrorist attack'. He has been charged with 'involvement in a terrorist group', Belgian prosecutors said today.
Abderamane A. was reportedly convicted in 2003 as an accomplice in the assassination of the Afghan political and military leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, two years earlier.
It came as dramatic pictures emerged of the moment armed Italian police arrested an Algerian man wanted by Belgium over fake ID documents used by the Paris and Brussels terrorists.
Djamal Eddine Ouali, 40, was seen on his knees and being held at gunpoint after being detained under a European arrest warrant in the southern Italian region of Salerno.
He was suspected of being part of a criminal network that produced fake documents for illegal immigration.
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