Geel (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): On August 25, 2024, the Balkan Krew car club held a massive gathering of 500 modified cars in a Geel parking lot leading to a police response due to the unregulated drifting and noise.
On the evening of August 25, 2024 the Balkan Krew car club had a big gathering in a parking lot near Janssen-Pharmaceuticalaan in Geel. About 500 modified cars showed up for the event which started around 10 PM. The parking lot became a lively spot for exciting drifting and loud engine revving, which are typical of the club’s gatherings. There were no cameras around during this event. The participants showed off their drifting skills with a lot of exciting moves making a lot of noise in the area. Since there were no cameras the event was more free and allowed the car lovers to display their talents in a dramatic way. This highlighted the club’s reputation for bold and daring driving shows.
What challenges did the police face in dispersing the Balkan Krew gathering in Geel?
On the evening of August 25, 2024, the Geel police responded to the big gathering of the Balkan Krew car club, where about 500 modified cars were in a parking lot near Janssen-Pharmaceuticalaan. Knowing the size of the event and the chance for problems the Geel police called for help from nearby police areas, including Antwerp and asked the federal police to assist. When the officers arrived they found a chaotic scene with loud engine noises and skidding tires. It has been said that the absence of surveillance cameras made it hard to keep an eye on everything and the large number of people made their job even more difficult.
It has been said that despite their efforts to manage the crowd the police had a hard time reaching the event’s organizers. The organizers were not helpful and avoided contact which added to the chaos. The Geel, Antwerp and federal police worked together to restore order and reduce the noise from the loud car displays. However, their efforts were difficult because the event was unregulated and the organizers were resistant. This made the situation challenging for law enforcement as they tried to disperse the crowd and deal with the noise and safety issues.
