Politics · Other · 2 days ago
Filip Dewinter injured in clash with wedding guests in Antwerp
Filip Dewinter, a politician from the Vlaams Belang party, was injured during a clash near Antwerp city hall.
He was there with a party colleague while a wedding party gathered nearby.
Dewinter and members of the wedding party gave different accounts of what started the incident.
Police detained two people from the wedding group, and Dewinter gave a statement to police.
Filip Dewinter, a politician with the Vlaams Belang party, suffered a bleeding wound to his eyebrow in a clash near Antwerp city hall.
The incident happened as he and party colleague Anke Van dermeersch went to sign a condolence register and a group gathered nearby for a wedding.
Dewinter says wedding guests insulted and attacked him; members of the wedding family give a different account of how the confrontation began.
Police arrested two people, both from the wedding party.
- Who
- Filip Dewinter, a Vlaams Belang politician, and members of a family celebrating a wedding.
- What
- Dewinter was injured in a clash. Police arrested two people from the wedding party.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- Near Antwerp city hall, on the Grote Markt.
- Why
- The parties give different accounts. Dewinter says he was insulted and attacked; a family member says the dispute began over filming.
Filip Dewinter
Wedding family
Cause of dispute
Filip Dewinter
Dewinter says guests immediately insulted him as he passed.
Wedding family
A family member says the dispute had already begun because Van dermeersch wanted to film them.
Physical confrontation
Filip Dewinter
Dewinter says a man grabbed him by the throat and 10 to 15 people hit him.
Wedding family
A family member says Dewinter pushed people, and that Van dermeersch hit the bride’s mother after she asked her to stop filming.
I was immediately insulted and called a racist as I passed.
Usually it does not come to physical blows, but remains at insults, shouting and yelling.
As a Vlaams Belang politician I unfortunately have to deal with this regularly, but I have the impression that it is getting worse and worse.
Dewinter and Van dermeersch went to Antwerp city hall to sign the condolence register for singer John de Wilde.
Dewinter moved through a crowd gathered for a wedding on the Grote Markt, and pushing and pulling were captured on video.
Dewinter gave a statement to police, and police arrested two people from the wedding party.
- Injury
- Bleeding wound to his eyebrow
- Location
- Near Antwerp city hall, Grote Markt
- Party
- Vlaams Belang
- Wedding group
- About 50 people
- Arrests
- Two people, both from the wedding party







