Peace has returned in Heusden-Zolder and Houthalen-Helchteren after an evening full of riots. These broke out after people of Kurdish and Turkish descent clashed. The police arrived en masse and even had to use water cannon. It is still unclear how many people were injured.
The reason for the confrontation was a group of Kurds who went to Heusden-Zolder on Sunday evening, after celebrating the Kurdish spring festival Newroz in Kessel-Lo. They allegedly provoked the Turkish community on Koolmijnlaan with Kurdish flags, photos and slogans of the Kurdish PKK. This led to discussions with individuals of Turkish descent, during which a Turkish man was also physically tackled. When that news circulated on social media, a large group of Turks gathered in Kolderstraat, where the Kurds had hidden in a house.
Several cars were destroyed there, and the windows of the house were also smashed. The provincial intervention plan was announced and both the federal and local police arrived en masse on the scene in Heusden-Zolder. The Turks were driven out of the Kolderstraat using water cannon and the Kurds were evacuated. A helicopter was also deployed. A number of rioters then moved to the Lillosteenweg in Houthalen-Helchteren, but the situation was under control by 11 p.m. There have been no new incidents since then.
At least six people were injured, at least one young man was stabbed in the chest with a knife. It is still unclear exactly how many people were injured. The crisis cell meets at the NAC in Houthalen-Helchteren around 9 am.
