Simultaneous riots in the prison and detention centre for immigrants in Merksplas

Sunday, about 70 prisoners of the prison of Merksplas started a riot. They started by refusing to go back to their cells; going on then with breaking windows and tearing down infrastructure of the prison. When police forces arrived, tens of prisoners barricades themselves inside a wing where they resisted till the arrival of the special intervention unit of the federal police. The rioters caused quite some damage and also tried to put fire by burning a ping pong table. The syndicate of the guards say the prisoners were protesting against the fact that they don’t have water or a toilet in their cells.
Just at the moment that big part of the police force was coming again out of the prison, just on the opposite side of the street, in the detention centre for immigrants, a riot broke out. The Office des Etrangers refused to give any more information about the revolt, but the guards syndicate talk about sans-papiers trying a collective escape. Some sans-papiers had a confrontation with the police, but were finally overwhelmed and put in isolation. Two days before, on Friday, two sans-papiers escaped from the centre (a fact which the media didn’t mention). A part of the prisoners of the detention centre is currently on hungerstrike to protest against the conditions and ask an immediate liberation. They also denounce the fact that direction and guards try to make them shut up.
On Monday, the guards of the centre went on strike, protesting against the ongoing insecurity and revealing that the police had to intervene already 4 times this month (September) to stop revolts. Police and the social service of the centre took now over the control of the centre.

14.09.2010
Compilation of the Flemish press.