Police in Brussels ordered some 300 asylum seekers and illegal immigrants to leave the Begijnhojkerk Church, after the migrants staged a protest at the church, demanding legal permits to stay in the country. Poor planning was blamed for the failure of the protest, resulting in unhappiness among the protestors, and even verbal and physical aggression. Most of the asylum seekers left the church peacefully but several dozen refused to leave, resulting in forced removals. The last migrants without official papers left only after they were threatened with being arrested, meaning they would have faced expulsion from Belgium.
