Brussels mayor vows city won't be taken hostage by Freedom Convoys

Anti-riot police held protesters back from European Union buildings, ringfenced with barbed wire

The mayor of Brussels vowed the city would not be “taken hostage” by protesters staging a demonstration under the banner of freedom convoys, as 500 vehicles were intercepted by police.

Philippe Close said hundreds of cars and campervans, mainly from France, had reached the outskirts of Brussels but were barred from the city centre. Instead, officers told drivers they could enter on foot.

Up to 200 protesters converged in the Place Sainte Catherine, a public square, and the quarter housing EU institutions to make known their opposition to coronavirus restrictions.

After being met by riot police armed with batons and shields, some protesters were pushed back from reaching EU buildings, which were surrounded by barbed wire fences.

The mayor told Belgian LN24 television the protesters had no permit from the Brussels authorities, no leader and had made no demands.

Earlier, Mr Close said up to 500 vehicles had been seen heading towards Brussels, and insisted the authorities were ready to respond to the planned action.

“About 30 [vehicles] have been blocked and the others have vanished into thin air,” Mr Close told local radio station RTBF.

Philippe, a French protester from the city of Valenciennes who had protested in Paris, told reporters pandemic restrictions were one of many reasons which contributed to his decision to participate.

"I came particularly for our children's future,” he said. “I don't see how my children can live in the world as it is now. Freedom is swept aside, there's more poverty. Even when you work, when the 15th of the month comes around, you haven't got enough to live on.”

He said he was also protesting against the rise in energy prices and the cost of living.

He said several dozen motorists were in a car park on the edge of Brussels, where police had decided to allow the protesters to enter the city on foot.

“It is a matter of not allowing the Belgian capital to be taken hostage,” he said.

Earlier, about 50 vehicles taking part in the protest parked outside the King Baudouin Stadium and waited for the convoy from Lille before pushing further into the city. One bus had the words “Stop Covid Pass” written on its windows, while many participants had French and Canadian flags flying.

In an effort to stop protesters circumventing checks, police also closed part of a motorway to the city from the east.

Initial reports suggested the protests were largely peaceful, but some photos appeared to show scuffles between participants and police officers.

Videos posted on Twitter showed people at a rally cheering and clapping for the police, in an apparent show of appreciation for the officers who allowed them to stage their demonstration on foot.

Belgian authorities banned all protests in the capital involving motorised vehicles after getting wind of the convoy plan.

Drivers from across France and the Netherlands had joined the convoy bound for Brussels, in the hope of causing major traffic disruption in a protest against coronavirus restrictions.

About 300 vehicles taking part in the Canada-style protest arrived in Lille, northern France, on Sunday en route to the Belgian capital.

Social media footage on Monday showed heavy goods vehicles, including one carrying a crane, being given a jubilant send-off in The Haguein the Netherlands as they embarked on the 180-kilometre journey.

One video showed a long line of vehicles snaking its way along a French motorway on Monday bound for Brussels. Some cars and camper vans had French and Italian flags flying from them, while drivers beeped in a show of unity.

A similar protest was taking place in Jerusalem to oppose Israel’s Covid curbs. Lorries, vans and cars briefly blocked a motorway leading to the city as they attempted to reach the Knesset.

Huge signs reading "liberty," "new world order," "no more restrictions, going back to normal," "cancel the mask mandate" and "a free nation in our country" were seen hanging from the vehicles.

Thousands of people took part in the demonstration, including drivers, passengers and pedestrians standing along routes to cheer them on.

The Israeli government last week rolled back the requirement for the Green Pass at restaurants, hotels, cinemas and gyms. The pass is valid if a person can prove vaccination, recovery from the virus or a recent negative Covid test. The requirement for the pass remains in place for large gatherings such as night clubs.

The Belgian convoy is on the move after anti-riot police in Paris fired teargas at protesters on Saturday and arrested 97 people in connection with another “freedom convoy” demonstration.

Almost 3,000 drivers converged on the city, defying an order not to travel and dodging police roadblocks. Eighty-one people remained in custody on Sunday.

Some demonstrators were seen kicking teargas canisters as white smoke sent diners and waiters scrambling for cover at nearby restaurants.

In Lille on Sunday, members of the convoy expressed their distaste for the continuing Covid restrictions.

“We'll go to Brussels to try to block it, to fight against this policy of permanent control,” said Jean-Pierre Schmit, 58, an unemployed man from Toulouse.

Sandrine, 45, who came from Lyon, said the French government's response to the pandemic had revealed that “we're losing our freedoms bit by bit, in an insidious way".

The convoy of cars, lorries, buses, tractors and campervans is one of several worldwide inspired by a lorry drivers' stand-off with authorities in Ottawa, Canada.

In France, the demonstrators took aim in particular at the “vaccine pass” required to enter restaurants, cafes and other public venues. The contentious measure was implemented as part of President Emmanuel Macron's drive to encourage more people to take the Covid vaccination. In January, the option for unvaccinated people to show a negative test result in order to gain access to some venues was scrapped.

But those taking part have also said wider issues played a part in convincing them to protest. These include rising fuel and energy costs, an echo of the “yellow vest” grievances that forced Mr Macron to announce tax cuts and other concessions in December 2018.

On Saturday, more than 100 motorists brought traffic along the Champs-Elysees in Paris to a standstill, with some drivers standing on top of their cars and waving flags in an attempt to get their point across. They were backed by protesters on foot, some who had teargas fired at them by anti-riot police, creating scenes similar to the yellow vest clashes.

Prosecutors said Jerome Rodrigues, a leader of the yellow vest protest movement, was one of the people detained in Saturday's protests, although his lawyer denied any organising role and called him a political prisoner.

The Paris police department said an internal inquiry had been opened after a video emerged on social media showing an officer pointing his gun at a driver.

Millions of voters in France are preparing to go to the polls in April's presidential election. Mr Macron has yet to confirm that he will seek re-election, but is expected to do so.

On Friday, he said he understood the “fatigue” experienced by people after two years of the pandemic.

“This fatigue also leads to anger. I understand it … but I call for the utmost calm,” Mr Macron told the Ouest-France newspaper.

The government has said it plans to relax mask orders by February 28, and is hoping to end the vaccine pass requirement by late March or early April.

About 24,000 more people demonstrated in other parts of the country on Saturday, the authorities said, including in the southern city of Montpellier, where radical fringe activists broke the glass facades of two banks.