Not Just in France: Unrest Spreads to Belgium and Germany

Prensa Latina (Havana), 9 November 2005

Brussels, Nov 9 (Prensa Latina) Youths have set fire to vehicles in several cities in Belgium and Germany since the weekend, in what appears to be an imitation of violence in France.

Belgian authorities said Wednesday that a car, a bus and a truck went up in flames in the port city of Antwerp, while a car was set ablaze in Ghent on Tuesday night, the third night of unrest. Another car was torched in Lokeren, a town between Ghent and Antwerp.

It's quite clearly a copycat case involving several youngsters relating to the events in Paris, Ghent police commissioner Steven De Smet told VRT television.

Several vehicles were damaged by Molotov cocktails in Brussels. The cabin of a van was already on fire when we arrived at the scene, Guy Cloetens of the city's fire department told VRT television.

The officials have sought to forestall any spillover of the French violence by stepping up police patrols and increasing dialogue with immigrant community leaders.

Like France, Belgium has a large immigrant population, many of Moroccan origin, with high unemployment among the young.

In the German capital, Berlin, nine cars have been set alight since the weekend, while in the western city of Cologne, two cars were seriously damaged and another two slightly damaged by fire early Wednesday, police spokesman Wolfgang Baldes said.

According to witnesses, six to seven youths were seen running away from the scene.