Seven Dutch arrested for organizing illegal rave in Belgium
The Belgian police arrested seven Dutch people over the weekend on suspicion of organizing an illegal rave on a military site, attracting some 10,000 people, local media reported. The police also arrested two others and handed out dozens of fines, mainly for drug offenses and traffic violations.
The rave started at around 11:00 p.m. on Friday at a military site in Brustem in the Belgian province of Limburg. Those responsible set up stages and music installations in 11 hangars that used to house fighter planes. Over 5,000 people showed up in the first hours, gradually increasing to about 10,000, NU.nl reports based on figures from the provincial government.
Two of the Dutch suspects were arrested on the Maastrichterstraat in Mopertingen on Sunday evening, the other five on the E313. A video shot during one traffic stop showed the police inspecting the contents of a rental truck. They found equipment used to stage an event, a first aid kit, and large gas canisters.
As many of the attendees were under the influence of drugs, and the authorities considered interference risky, the police decided not to stop the party but to let it die down on its own.
Instead of breaking up the party, the police checked the access roads, seizing drugs, a power generator, and a sound system, among other things. They also heavily patrolled the area to limit problems to local residents as much as possible, and spoke to individual attendees, convincing them to go home.
“The efforts of the police and the unrelenting conversations with the attendees are clearly having an effect. The attendees are leaving bit by bit,” the province’s crisis management said at around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. At that time, about 3,000 people were still at the military site. That dropped to around 1,500 at 10:30 p.m. By noon on Monday, only about 200 people remained.
The police confiscated 27 driver's licenses, fined 20 people for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, drew up 16 official reports for drug offenses, and fined 47 people for drug possession.
