Several people were injured and taken to hospital after supporters and opponents of the Turkish government clashed outside the country's consulate in central Brussels on Thursday , Belgian police said. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned the violence, which he linked to a forthcoming referendum in Turkey on increasing the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Start the conversation, or Read more at EurActiv.com. </s> Several people were injured in a fight that broke out in front of the Turkish consulate in the Belgian capital, where expats can vote early on changes to Turkish constitution, Turkish and Belgian media reported on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Daily Sabah newspaper, three Turkish citizens were injured, while Kurdish Firat News agency claimed that the three victims of the altercation were Kurds.

​According to Belgian La Libre outlet, the fight was between the supporters of opposite points of view on the referendum. </s> BRUSSELS, March 30 (Reuters) - Several people were injured and taken to hospital after supporters and opponents of the Turkish government clashed outside the country's consulate in central Brussels on Thursday, Belgian police said.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned the violence, which he linked to a forthcoming referendum in Turkey on increasing the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan.

"The Belgian government has absolute zero tolerance for any spillovers from the Turkish referendum. I condemn the riots at the embassy in Brussels," he said on Twitter.

A police spokeswoman said she could give no further details on the number of people hurt or the nature of their injuries. The Turkish mission to Brussels could not be immediately reached for comment.

Ties between Turkey and European Union states have deteriorated in recent weeks over Turkish government attempts to rally support for Erdogan among expatriate Turks.

Erdogan reacted with fury after Germany and the Netherlands - which, like Belgium, have big Turkish minorities - moved to restrict political rallies on their soil in the run-up to the April 16 referendum.

Kurdish news agency Firat said the Thursday incident took place as people arrived at the consulate in Brussels to cast early 'no' votes in the referendum. Reuters was not able to confirm that independently. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Gabriela Baczynska, Phil Blenkinsop and Hortense de Roffignac; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) </s> (Image: TWITTER)

Several people have been wounded outside the Turkish Consulate in the Belgian city.

Police were called to the scene at about 5pm.

One of the three victims was slashed in the stomach and is in a serious condition.

Turkish people were standing outside waiting to vote in the Turkish constitutional referendum, LaLibre.be reported.

The vote is over a decision on whether to grant Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan more powers.

According to reports three Kurds were attacked by supporters of President Erdoğan.

"We had to intervene because there were incidents, there were wounded and they were taken to be treated, and an investigation is under way," police spokesman Ilse Van de keere said.

(Image: TWITTER)

Demonstrators have gathered outside the building on Rue Montoyer.

Some Kurds have been taking part in a violent insurgency in Turkey in an effort to create an independent state.

Turkey has been accused of brutally suppressing them both in its border and in Syria.

Kurdish forces in Syria have been vital in battling ISIS militants. </s> Several people have been injured in a brawl outside the Turkish embassy as they went to cast their vote in a key referendum.

The expats had been casting their votes on whether or not to give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan increased powers, when trouble reportedly erupted between the controversial leader's supporters and opponents.

Belgian newspaper Le Soir reports that trouble erupted outside the building at around 4pm, but it is not known exactly what sparked the confrontation.

The number of casualties has not yet been confirmed, and there have also been reports of three Kurdish people being stabbed, including one man being slashed in the throat.

Several people have been confirmed as being taken to hospital.

Tensions have run high in the build-up to the vote, with rallies in Germany and Holland - which have high Turkish populations - being cancelled due to violence fears.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was even denied entry into the Netherlands, despite his plane having already landed at Rotterdam, ahead of one rally.

This prompted thousands of demonstrators to gather outside the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam demanding action, as the scene turned to riots.

Mr Erdogan himself caused outrage after he accused both countries of 'Nazi practices' for banning the rallies.

A police spokeswoman said she could give no further details on the number of wounded or the nature of their injuries. </s> The victims were injured in violent clashes which erupted between rival groups during voting in the Turkish constitutional referendum.

According to reports three Kurds were attacked by supporters of of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

One of victims suffered stomach injuries and is understood to be in a serious condition.

Brussels police spokesman Ilse Van de keere said: ”We had to intervene because there were incidents, there were wounded and they were taken to be treated, and an investigation is under way.” </s> At least 17 people were killed and eight others wounded after gunmen attacked a Turkish restaurant in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on Sunday night, Al-Jazeera reported. Burkina Faso’s Communications Minister Remi Dandjinou confirmed the toll on Monday morning.

Witnesses said three gunmen opened fire on customers seated outside the restaurant around 9.30 pm. The security forces reached the spot after receiving reports of shots being fired near the upscale Turkish restaurant Aziz Istanbul in Ouagadougou.

“We evacuated 11 people but one of them, a Turk, died on arriving at the hospital,” a paramedic told AFP. The others hospitalised were reported to be in a critical condition.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, it is suspected that the attack could be the work of one of the affiliates of al-Qaeda, reported BBC.

In January 2016, a similar attack at a nearby cafe had left 30 people dead. </s> A man was shot in the centre of Brussels on Friday evening after attacking two soldiers, prosecutors said, adding that the man was taken to hospital and was in critical condition.

“With the identity that we currently have, [the suspect] is a 30-year-old man who is not known for terrorist activities,” a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said.

The soldiers were lightly wounded in the attack, one in the face and the other in the hand.

The crisis center said in a tweet late Friday that the situation "is under control".

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel also tweeted that "all our support is with our soldiers. Our security services remain on alert. We are following the situation closely."

In June, Belgian troops shot dead a suspected suicide bomber at Brussels' main train station. The man was later identified as a 36-year-old Moroccan national, the federal prosecutor's office said.

The Belgian capital – home to the headquarters of both NATO and the European Union – has been on high alert since a Brussels-based Islamic State group cell organised an attack that killed 130 people in Paris in November 2015. Four months later, associates of those attackers killed 32 people in Brussels.

>> Read more: The Brussels bombers and their links to the Paris attacks

Attacks in Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden have been carried out in the name of the Islamist group by other young men, many of them locals.

"Such isolated acts will continue in Brussels, in Paris and elsewhere. It's inevitable," Brussels security consultant Claude Moniquet, a former French agent, told broadcaster RTL shortly after the thwarted attack at Brussels central station.

With the Islamic State group under pressure in Syria - and with Belgium being the most fertile European recruiting ground for foreign Islamist fighters - he said attacks in Europe may increase, though many of these would be by "amateurs" who would not manage to commit large acts of terror. </s> A man armed with a machete has been shot after he attacked soldiers on patrol in Brussels as he shouted "Allahu Akbar".

Witnesses said they heard gunshots tonight as the knifeman confronted two military officers in the Belgian capital.

Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported a 30-year-old Somalian man wielding a knife and shouting "Allahu Akbar" was "shot down" after soldiers were attacked and injured.

Early reports suggested the troops were not seriously hurt while the man was killed.

However, sources from inside the Belgian prosecutor's office later said the man was alive and in a critical condition in hospital.

However, sources from inside the Belgian prosecutor's office later said the man was alive and in a critical condition in hospital.

Pictures taken from the scene show a police cordon on a pavement with paramedics working inside.

Thomas da Silva Rosa tweeted: "A man with a machete attacked soldiers on patrol in Brussels centre, now shot dead."

Ryan MacDonald wrote: "Sound of gunshot, heavy police presence outside on Boulevard Emile Jacqmain, Brussels."

Another man said: "Heard two bangs and loads of sirens in Brussels, anyone know what's happening?"

The attack took place Boulevard Emile Jacqmain at around 8:20pm local time (7.20pm UK time).
Several people are wounded in clashes outside the Turkish consulate in Brussels.