BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th November, 2022) Hundreds of police officers came out to protest in Brussels on Monday to demand a tougher state response to violence against police as well as better working conditions, following a deadly stabbing attack on officers earlier in the month, Sputnik correspondent reported.
On November 11, Belgian media reported that one police officer died and another one was injured in a stabbing attack in Brussels in the vicinity of Brussels-North railway station. According to the media, the attacker was injured by other police officers and was taken to a hospital.
Police officers arrived at the demonstration in plain clothes with placards, union symbols, and whistles. Security was provided by dozens of uniformed police officers.
The action began at the North Station in the Belgian capital near the site of the recent deadly incident.
The Belgian police union, which is organizing Monday's protest, called on the government for "zero tolerance" for violence against officers.
"We advocate a tough and adequate approach to all forms of violence against the police. The 'zero tolerance' promised by the government must finally be applied," the union said in a statement.
The union also called on the government to revise police compensation and social benefits.
"The man in uniform should be respected, and any reconciliation of violence against the police should be severely punished. So far it's not working," a police union representative who participated in the action told reporters.
According to the Belgian media, the perpetrator of the attack came to one of the police precincts prior to the incident and warned of his plans to attack police officers. The attacker was offered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and was taken to a hospital with his consent. Later, he left the hospital as he was not ordered to undergo compulsory treatment.
According to the RTBF broadcaster, the attacker, born in 1990, was listed in the database of the Belgian Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis as a "violent extremist."
The reasons for the incident are being investigated by the Belgian Federal prosecutor's office, which is responsible for terrorism crimes.
