Nazi salutes and anti-immigrant chants disrupt Brussels memorial

[TomCADem]

Source: CNN

Protesters stormed into a memorial for Brussels attack victims Sunday, raising their arms in Nazi salutes and shouting anti-immigrant slogans as they scuffled with people who'd gathered for a peaceful vigil there.

It was a startling sight after days of calm gatherings at the Place de la Bourse, located in a commercial district of the Belgian capital.

Organizers had postponed a scheduled march in Brussels out of security fears, but some mourners still came to the makeshift memorial Sunday. They laid flowers at the foot of the stairs leading to the Brussels Stock Exchange.

The mood changed swiftly around 2:45 p.m., when several hundred men -- most of them dressed in black, a handful of them with their faces totally or partially obscured, and many of them carrying alcoholic beverages -- arrived on the square.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/27/europe/brussels-investigation-main/

[2naSalit]

1. ...

[shenmue]

2. Assholes

[Socal31]

3. And here we go again. The rise of the far-right in Europe for the next decade is a given.

History really does repeat.

[Bad Dog]

7. The far right in Europe

Is no way near as much as a problem as the far right in America. Look at Donald Trump.

[Calista241]

8. The right in Europe is much more moderate than Republicans here.

But the far right in Europe is just as bat shit crazy as the far right here.

The war in Bosnia and Serbia in the 90's was hideous in its brutality.

And Obama is right, Europe has not integrated its migrant populations as well as we have. This is a gigantic simmering problem that they have made almost no effort to address. Wars and revolution have started over far less important reasons.

[Bad Dog]

9. Europe is not an entity like the US.

You cannot judge all of Europe by what happened in the former Yugoslavia. There is no comparison between Belgium now and Serbia then. The far right over here are a lot smaller than those in America who've even got their own presidential candidate looking like he's going to win the Republican ticket at the very least..

[Angel Martin]

10. History really does repeat.

It sure does. The police need to get these goons under control.

Unfortunately, just like the weak governments of europe in the 1930's, they won't do any better controlling the far right than they have dealing with terrorist and terrorist sympathizers.

[Sunlei]

11. No, I think the EU will get a handle on the troublemakers both immigrant & local, drunk-idiot nazis.

EU countries will work closer together to deal with the 3k or so people who shouldn't be free in society in any country.

They also won't put up for long with drunk wannabe nazis.

It's Americas Republicans who make America a Global Embarrassment, our free speech RW-hate leaks out like diarrhea across the world.

Because Republicans NEVER take a stand against hate/discrimination if it could cost them votes.

[Skittles]

4. they carried alcohol

here, those cowards would carry guns

[bluestateguy]

5. There are some countries where Nazi/fascist salutes are overtly illegal

I don't know if Belgium is one of them.

I would oppose such a law in the US, but I won't criticize other nations that do.

[pampango]

6. "Right wing extremists": "'It's because of you,' meaning the migrants here in Brussels."'

Right-wing protesters have gathered at a vigil for victims of Tuesday's Brussels attack, sparking confrontations and prompting a response from riot police.

Brussels residents had originally been planning a "march against fear" on Sunday, but it was canceled after the minister of the interior made an appeal to the public. He said the police was stretched thin investigating the attacks and asked for the march to be called off, given security concerns. The planners of the march agreed.

But a vigil for victims was held at Brussels' city center, at the site where mourners have left flowers, candles and notes honoring the victims.

NPR's Melissa Block, reporting from the scene, described what it was like when the peaceful gathering was joined by a group of right-wing protesters. "A group of right-wing extremists clad in black have marched to the center of this rally and have basically commandeered it. They have taken over," Melissa told our Newscast unit. "They're shouting, 'It's because of you,' meaning the migrants here in Brussels."

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/27/472040533/riot-police-respond-to-right-wing-protest-in-brussels

Tellingly the far-right Breitbart describes the protesters as "anti-ISIS hooligans" rather than fascists or right-wing extremists.