Protest against coronavirus restrictions turns violent in Brussels

Police officers walk on the street during a protest against the Belgian government's restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Brussels, Belgium December 5, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Police fired teargas and used water cannons on Sunday to disperse protesters pelting officers with cobblestones and fireworks as a demonstration in Brussels over government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions turned violent.

A few thousand protesters marched peacefully through the centre of the Belgian capital to the neighbourhood which hosts the headquarters of European Union institutions, where the demonstration reached its end point.