World
Brussels Protesters Clash with Police Over Austerity Plans
Police in Brussels used tear gas, water cannon and baton charges to confront a small group of protesters who clashed with officers near Brussels Central station. The confrontation occurred on the sidelines of a demonstration organized by the country’s socialist trade union against the federal government’s austerity measures. Thousands of people gathered at the station on Friday, and a smaller group threw wooden beams, glass bottles and rubbish bins, according to the Belgian Times. Police were deployed in large numbers around the stations and checked groups of young people not wearing trade union colours. They said the main trade union rally proceeded peacefully but that “groups of troublemakers were responsible for serious incidents before and after the march.” Riot police responded to those protesters with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges. Police stated that those who “cause the problems of public order are not linked” to the rally. Al Jazeera’s Rosie Birchard reported that damage was caused during Friday morning’s protests, with an “acrid smell of burning in the air” from fires set and the tear gas. She said police and emergency services were arriving, dispersing or cleaning up, and that the day was still early, noting that street violence often worsens in the evening. Birchard added that some young people were inspired by school protests in France and wanted to discuss their education environment, feeling “not being listened to.” The clashes followed a week of tension in Liège, where authorities had banned gatherings after students clashed with police and vandalised shops. More than 200 people were arrested in Liège, and dozens of police were injured. The ABVV trade union and the Christian ACV, Belgium’s two largest unions, organized protests on Friday morning. Protesters marched from Brussels Central station to Brussels South Station under the slogan “stay out of our pockets.” Police said about 30,000 people attended the demonstrations, while ABVV had earlier estimated attendance at 50,000. The anger stems from the government’s austerity measures, as officials consider a new budget that opposes potential measures affecting purchasing power, the wage indexation system and value‑added tax (VAT), as well as plans to introduce annualised working time. At the same time, the ACV organized a separate protest involving hundreds of activists at the capital’s headquarters of the governing coalition parties.