BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — Brussels police will monitor social networks in order to discover gatherings that could potentially pose a threat to public order, following several recent violent altercations in the city, the mayor's office confirmed to Sputnik on Friday.
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On Thursday, Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon thanked law enforcement for their work during recent unrest as a result of several protests and suggested studying social networks across the country to be able to foresee similar incidents in the future.
According to the minister, riot participants do not deserve to occupy a place in society and called them "the consequences of a cancer that must be eradicated," which prompted mixed reaction.
The minister's controversial statement has caused intense reaction on social media with many voicing disapproval of the measure and others launding the government's response to riots.
That some teenagers can act like vandals when provoked does not surprise or worry me. That is of all times and can be contained. What worries me is a minister of interrior calling these teenagers "a part of a cancer that must be eradicated".#Fascism #Belgium #Brussels #JanJambon
— Dyab Abou Jahjah (@Aboujahjah) November 17, 2017
Jan Jambon qualifie les auteurs des émeutes de "ramification d'un cancer qu'il faut éradiquer" https://t.co/0EkHJQkV0U via @rtbfinfo
Les mots qualifient ceux qui les prononcent. Je vous laisse situer Jan Jambon sur l'échiquier politique…
— Pascal Lorent (@PascalLorent) November 17, 2017
Jan Jambon called the participants of the riots "ramifications of cancer that must be eradicated". Words characterize those who pronounce them. I'll let you locate Jan Jambon on the political chessboard.
Ces événements prouvent (s'il le fallait encore) qu'il est urgent de renforcer le cadre policier des différentes zones de police de la capitale. #émeutes #Bruxelles #Lemonnier #PlacedelaMonnaie #JanJambon https://t.co/Z8zfseKwuF
— Nico Patelli (@NicoPatelli) November 17, 2017
These events prove (if still necessary) that there is an urgent need to strengthen the police force in the capital.
An earlier incident saw Belgian fans of the Moroccan national football team celebrate their qualification for World Cup 2018 next to the Brussels Stock Exchange turn violent, with altercations between the police and the young people. More than 20 police officers were injured, material damages included burnt cars and broken shop windows.
