Belgian police move demonstrators out of Brussels memorial square
Previously scheduled solidarity march had been cancelled due to stretched police resources
A Brussels square serving as a memorial site for victims of Tuesday's bombing attacks turned tense on Sunday when protesters wearing black arrived, shouting slogans and carrying a banner with an expletive against ISIS.
CBC's Thomas Daigle, reporting from Brussels, said the square was full of people mourning and peacefully paying respects to the victims of the explosions at the city's airport and a train station.
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It is not clear exactly what the demonstrators said, but Daigle reported that mourners responded to them by chanting, "we're all children of immigrants."
There was "pushing and shoving" and "tense moments," Daigle reported.
Police wearing riot gear arrived with vehicles carrying water cannons, and the demonstrators were moved out of the square.
Dozens of Brussels police in riot gear & crowd control vehicle have moved in, surrounding protesters in black <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbc?src=hash">#cbc</a> <a href="https://t.co/npvLkXJFwg">pic.twitter.com/npvLkXJFwg</a>
—@thomasdaigleA march for solidarity had originally been planned for Sunday, but organizers agreed to postpone it after the Belgian government appealed to people not to attend, saying police resources were too stretched.
"We understand fully the emotions," Interior Minister Jan Jambon said in making the appeal on Saturday. "We understand that everyone wants to express these feelings."
A total of 31 people died and 270 were wounded in the Brussels attacks.
With files from CBC's Thomas Daigle, The Associated Press and Reuters