"La Boum 2": one of the organisers arrested after Minister Verlinden's invitation to contact the police

“"We contacted the Brussels Capital police as you invited us to, and we were surprised to learn that the person we designated to make the contact you were seeking to establish in order to tell us to contact the police has been placed under arrest and will be deprived of liberty", the L’Abîme collective reports in a Facebook post published this Monday with the comment "NO COMMENT".”

“The Brussels Capital/Ixelles police and the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office refuse to comment on this possible arrest, referring to an "investigation still in progress".”

“All the data passed on”

“The Belga agency adds a nuance: according to it, the representative of the L’Abîme collective has not yet been placed under arrest but will be shortly, by this Tuesday at the latest.”

“Indeed, the representative of the L’Abîme collective will go on Tuesday at 9:00 to the central police station of the Brussels-Ixelles police to be questioned. The person concerned had identified himself as the representative of the L’Abîme collective, giving his identity and his mobile phone number, to the State Security Service on Wednesday by telephone and to the office of the Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden on Thursday by e-mail, because the Minister had claimed in a Chamber committee that the Belgian authorities were unable to make contact with the group.”

“The collective's spokesperson then received a summons for Friday, mentioning charges relating to bill-posting. He called the number given in case the date was not convenient beforehand, and says he agreed with the officer on the line to call back when he had found a lawyer. When he phoned this Monday, a police officer allegedly explained to him that he was imperatively summoned for Tuesday at 09:00 on charges relating to non-compliance with Covid-19 rules, the creation of a militia and damage to public property.”

“It is off-putting to initiate dialogue in this way”

“On the basis of the explanations provided by the officer, the spokesperson of the L’Abîme collective is surprised that, following his request to be assisted by a lawyer, his hearing was moved from category 3 to 4 under the terms of the Salduz law, which defines the rights granted to persons questioned by the police. "We are asked to open a dialogue. I give my contact details. I find myself immediately summoned with charges, and the police officer warns me that they will come and get me to deprive me of liberty if I do not respond to this Tuesday's summons. It is off-putting to initiate dialogue in this way."”

“The Minister questioned in the Chamber”

“Last week, Minister Verlinden had stated in a Chamber committee that the Belgian authorities were unable to make contact with representatives of the L’Abîme collective. "The Brussels police are trying to contact the organisers to discourage them from organising this event on 1 May", Ms Verlinden had explained in committee. The L’Abîme collective then called the State Security Service on Wednesday afternoon at around 15:00 and contacted the office of the Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden by e-mail on Thursday at around 19:00.”

“On 1 April, a first "Boum", then regarded as a hoax, had brought together between 1,500 and 2,000 people in the Bois de la Cambre, according to police estimates; the police had used force to disperse the participants. The L’Abîme collective organised a second party on 2 April and took over the name "La Boum" from the first event for its new illegal party planned for 1 May.”

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Photo source:
BAM!