A massive anti-racism march has turned violent in Brussels, Belgium, as the most rowdy protesters turned to looting and assaulting police. At least one protester, however, did not seem to care about the mayhem at all.
Several videos on social media show a man sitting in a lounge chair in the middle of the road during the chaotic demonstrations in Brussels on Sunday – right as a mounted police squad was about to charge unruly protesters.
While the man’s badassery was certainly noteworthy, the skill of the mounted police officers was definitely exceptional as well, since they managed to squeeze their magnificent beasts past the protester without hitting him – or running into one another in the narrow road.
Another video shows that the man was the only one to remain in place, while other protesters broke ranks and fled from the advancing cavalry.
The Belgian capital is enduring its own wave of the US-inspired protests against institutionalized racism and police violence. The protest appears very similar to those in US and other European capitals, beginning peacefully before descending into chaos and looting.
The protesters have been seen clashing with riot police, who responded with tear gas, as well as batons and cavalry charges.
As in the US, which has seen a lot of anger targeting Confederate monuments, Belgium’s heritage was also targeted by the protesters. In particular, they have vandalized several statues of King Leopold II, who was responsible for genocide in Congo in the late 1800s. Multiple petitions demanding removal of all the monuments to the late king were launched several days ago.
The US-inspired protests have swept through several European countries over the past few days, turning particularly violent in some locations. The UK has seen particularly chaotic scenes, with the protesters clashing with police, assaulting service horses and even tearing down a statue of a slave trader and throwing it into a river in Bristol.
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