Shoes in Berlin, Bricks in Brussels

Protests have been occurring all over Europe due to Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip. I was only back in Berlin for a few days and was unable to see the Palestinian protest at the Rotes Rathaus but I walked by the next day and noticed a knocked-over street lamp. Online reports also indicated shoe throwing at the Egyptian embassy. The shoe-thrower has started a trend.

There were protests when I arrived in Brussels on the steps of the financial exchange. I asked the front desk at the hostel about the protests, he let out an exasperated sigh and said in his quirky Flemish accent: “I hope they don’t come down here again”. Story goes on Sunday night the crowd turned violent and made its way towards the financial district. Protesters grabbed bricks and began smashing storefronts. Riot police soon descended upon the area and dispersed the rioters with water cannons.

The heightened police presence I noticed on arrival was beginning to make sense. The pseudo-upscale hotel across the street had a sheet of plywood covering a smashed window and the theater neighboring the hostel suffered numerous strikes to its glass façade. After hearing all this I hurried up to my room, dropped my things and headed back to the spot of the protests. Unfortunately I was too late and swarms of Chinese tourists had replaced the potentially brick throwing protesters.