BRUSSELS, October 24. /TASS/. Shops in Brussels have taken extensive precautions ahead of a potential new wave of rioting this Saturday, boarding up their storefronts with wooden panels, a TASS correspondent reported.
Several major retailers and shopping arcades, including the flagship Apple store and numerous jewelry boutiques, have opted to suspend operations entirely.
In the capital’s luxury shopping districts along Avenue Louise, Boulevard de Waterloo, and in the Rue Neuve and Sablon areas, more than half of the storefronts have been covered with particleboard panels.
"Naturally, we hope that the police will be able to contain the unrest this time. But we have a grim history. Hopes aren't always realized," Antoine, the owner of a city center electronics store, told TASS.
According to him, the emergency installation of panels on a small shop featuring two glass display windows and a door costs owners between 1,500 and 2,000 euros. Although the panels are firmly screwed into the structural framework, such defensive measures "will only deter opportunistic rioters who aren't specifically targeting a particular store."
Last weekend, street unrest that began as student protests devolved into the looting of city center shops. This week, calls to "take to the streets for social justice on October 24" have once again circulated widely across Belgian social media. Shop owners are discussing online the possibility of legally using civilian or non-lethal weapons to defend against rioters. However, Belgian self-defense law justifies the use of force only to protect life and physical well-being, not property.
Brussels authorities have also undertaken extensive preparations. Reinforced police units are stationed at major intersections in the city center, and the number of patrols circulating throughout the city significantly exceeds that of an ordinary day.
By midday, the situation in the city remained calm. The areas around Brussels’ three main railway stations - North, South, and Central - where groups of protesters typically gather, are under heightened police surveillance, though the situation there remains peaceful for now.