COPS BREAK UP ILLEGAL PARTY IN BRUSSELS

There were clashes with police in Brussels after an illegal mass gathering in a park there escalated on Saturday, with attendees throwing bottles and fireworks at the police as the officers tried to disperse the gathering, called "La Boum 2," in the Bois de la Cambre park, Deutsche Presse-Agentur [dpa] reported.

Hundreds of police were involved in the operation, and tear gas and water cannon were also deployed. A helicopter circled the park overhead, a dpa reporter noted.

Many young people were involved in the gathering, which had been announced on Facebook and went ahead despite a ban by the authorities. Also in attendance were those critical of measures to contain the pandemic. A similar party in a popular city park at the start of April also got out of hand.

Some 2,000 people went to the event, police said, which was announced online in spite of regulations banning such gatherings due to the ongoing pandemic. Police broke up the event, but there were violent clashes then, too.

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