Police clarifies use of « non-dead » weapon in protest march for Fabian (Brussels)
© Kristof Vadino
No rubber bullets were used in the protest march for Fabian on Sunday in Brussels. The police zone involved confirms this to our editors.
The peaceful procession for Fabian, the eleven -year -old boy on the step who was killed in a police pursuit in Brussels, got out of hand on Sunday. The police used water cannons and pepper spray against around twenty rioters.
But there was also rubber bullets. Two agents were armed with striking orange specimens from the FN303 rifle, which fires Rubberkogels. When the situation in the vicinity of the Molenbeek Commissariat escalated, one of them effectively fired the weapon. That happened next to a playground where children were still present.
In a reaction, the police zone emphasized that the rubber gullet rifle is only used by a specialized arrest team. According to the police, less than twenty patterns were fired on Sunday in total. Those weapons are for self -defense, it sounded. They are rarely used effectively, but they always have agents of that team available, the police said.
According to the standard procedure, an internal report will be drawn up by the agents involved. Minister Quintin also announced that he will ask the police for an explanation. « The use of this type of ammunition is regulated. I asked the zone to inform myself about what exactly happened and how the situation was tackled. »
On Tuesday, the police zone involved announced that it was not about rubber bullets, « but hollow projectiles filled with powder or CS gas (bismuth), » it sounds. « They are fired with the FN 303, a non-dead weapon that is used by the arrest teams of our police zone. These teams are trained and authorized to use this weapon in the context of legal self-defense. The impact on the body is comparable to a stroke with a baton. »
