VIDEO. To 12,500 or 20,000? How to count the number of protesters on a klimaatmars?

In several Belgian cities have came in today about 30.850 young people on the street to demonstrate for the climate. The largest number of participants fell off to Brussels, for the fourth klimaatmars in a row. There gathered approximately 12,500 young people at the north station. But how does the police such a mass?

It turns out the task of a counter is referred to. That sets in somewhere along the trail where the agent has a good view of the mass. Visually, the mass in compartments divided, and so people counts how many people pass through. Counter service was today Steven's Cock. We followed him during the klimaatmars.

Additional tools

The official number of the site mass is a combination of the count that on the street happens with the information in the command post enters, among other data of public transport. That ensured that the number of the count is subsequently updated.

“At the manifestations of the trade unions, for example do they give us how many buses there to come to Brussels and then we have already a first indication of how many people there are. Or like Sunday in the other klimaatmars we could be on the basis of the figures from the nmbs / SNCB already have a calculation to do. Therefore, we knew then already at the start that the more than 30,000 protesters were.” said Ilse Van De Keere woordvoerdster of the police. At some demonstrations the helicopter also be a tool to the same teloefening from the air.

“At other events such as winter wonders in Brussels, we can also, on the basis of gsmsignalen know how many people are there at that time and place” says Van De Keere.