In yet another 2021 “shake-your-head” moment, thousands of ravers illegally gathered in Brussels after a fake announcement of a music festival was published on social media.
Said to be taking place on April 1st, the hoax April Fool’s Day festival went terribly awry after police raided the “event,” deploying teargas and water cannons to break up the crowd. Several attendees and officers were injured and four were arrested, according to Reuters.
Organizers of the hoax festival, dubbed “La BOUM,” reportedly promised guests that the event would flout COVID-19 safety measures. They also boldly listed Calvin Harris, David Guetta, and a reunion of legendary French duo Daft Punk as performers of the fest, which a Facebook Event page listed as taking place at Brussels’ Bois de la Cambre park. Despite the fact that organizers overtly stated that the festival was, in fact, fake, nearly 2,000 people still gathered in the park. Almost 70,000 had RSVPed on Facebook.
Belgium entered a third COVID-19 lockdown last weekend, Reuters reports. The outcome of the event caused Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to respond with a public statement on Twitter.
“What happened yesterday in Bois de la Cambre is totally unacceptable. All aid to hurt police officers,” reads De Croo’s tweet, translated from Dutch. “I understand everyone is tired of corona. But the rules are there for a reason and for everyone. Hospitals are filling up.”