Heusden-Zolder –
A parade on Sunday afternoon of Kurds with their flags completely escalated on Sunday evening. Hundreds of people took to the streets and the Lindeman district was closed off. The Kurds, who were hiding in a house, were evacuated around 7 p.m. At least six people were injured on Sunday evening. One of them was in serious condition.
Mireille Maes, Zahra Boufker, Roel Damiaans
Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 8:53 PM
On Sunday, around 5,000 Kurds from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany gathered in the Heuvelhof Park in Kessel-Lo to celebrate Newroz – the Kurdish spring festival. After that event, a small convoy of cars headed to Heusden-Zolder. They provoked the local Turkish community on Koolmijnlaan with honking, Kurdish flags and photos. PKK slogans were also chanted.
“According to the information we have, a Turkish man was tackled by the Kurds from the convoy during that parade,” says Mayor Alain Yzermans (Vooruit) of Houthalen-Helchteren. “The news spread via social media and within a short time dozens of Turks had gathered in Kolderstraat. The Kurds of the convoy had hidden in a house there.”
The large group of Turks wanted to storm the house and skirmishes broke out, but the police got the situation under control. Windows of the house were smashed with stones and several cars were also destroyed.
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Fights
The provincial intervention plan was quickly announced and the police deployed major resources with a water cannon, a helicopter and many riot police. Teams were sent from various other police zones to Heusden-Zolder to get the riots under control.
“The people in the house were evacuated,” says Yzermans. “Their cars were towed and seized. The police will continue to patrol during the night from Sunday to Monday.”
After the incident at the house in Kolderstraat, the situation remained tense. Groups of Kurds and Turks clashed in various places. Images of those fights were shared en masse via social media and WhatsApp. There was also a persistent rumor circulating on Sunday evening that a bus with PKK supporters was on its way to Heusden-Zolder to confront the local Turkish community. There was also a confrontation in the Lillo district in Houthalen-Helchteren in which a man was severely beaten by a group.
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Knife stab
Several people were injured during the riots at various locations in Heusden-Zolder and Houthalen-Helchteren. At least six people were taken to hospital. It mainly concerns people who were beaten, but at least one young man had to go to hospital because he was stabbed in the chest with a knife.
The first injured were taken to the hospital in Heusden, later three others were taken to the ZOL in Genk. One of the injured is said to be in serious condition.
Police emphasize the importance of calm and call for cooperation with the authorities to prevent further escalations. A crisis cell was set up in the town hall of Heusden-Zolder on Sunday evening, which will move to the NAC in Houthalen-Helchteren on Monday.
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