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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Afghans set up Belgian protest camp in Mons | Afghans set up Belgian protest camp in Mons |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers have set up a protest camp in the Belgian town of Mons, demanding to meet Prime Minister Elio di Rupo. | Hundreds of Afghan asylum seekers have set up a protest camp in the Belgian town of Mons, demanding to meet Prime Minister Elio di Rupo. |
| Mr di Rupo is also the mayor of Mons, and the asylum seekers say they will camp out in the town square until they see him. | Mr di Rupo is also the mayor of Mons, and the asylum seekers say they will camp out in the town square until they see him. |
| They are pressing to be granted residency and for a guarantee that none of them will be expelled. | They are pressing to be granted residency and for a guarantee that none of them will be expelled. |
| A town official said their cases would be reviewed "urgently". | A town official said their cases would be reviewed "urgently". |
| Some 350 asylum seekers had set off on a march to Mons from Brussels on Friday. | |
| They had previously been occupying a church in Brussels to draw attention to their situation, with the head of the Catholic Church in the country, Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, expressing support for their cause. | They had previously been occupying a church in Brussels to draw attention to their situation, with the head of the Catholic Church in the country, Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, expressing support for their cause. |
| The protesters' spokesman Samir Hamrad told RTBF radio: "We want to show the government that it would not be easy for us to go back to Afghanistan. They are scared of returning there." | The protesters' spokesman Samir Hamrad told RTBF radio: "We want to show the government that it would not be easy for us to go back to Afghanistan. They are scared of returning there." |
| The town's authorities were putting in place an "emergency plan" on Sunday evening, local media reported. | The town's authorities were putting in place an "emergency plan" on Sunday evening, local media reported. |
| "The police and also medical aid are on standby. The main focus is provide them with blankets and food," town spokeswoman Juliette Picry told La Libre Belgique newspaper. | |
| Mr di Rupo is currently abroad and is returning to Belgium on Monday. | Mr di Rupo is currently abroad and is returning to Belgium on Monday. |