A demonstration against the federal government’s austerity measures took place in Brussels on Friday, organised jointly by the ABVV and ACV, the country’s two largest trade unions. The protest, which marched from Brussels Central station to Brussels South Station under the slogan “stay out of our pockets,” drew significant crowds to oppose proposed budget measures.
While the main union-led rally proceeded peacefully according to police accounts, confrontations broke out between law enforcement and breakaway groups of demonstrators. These protesters threw wooden beams, glass bottles and rubbish bins at police, who responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges. Police attributed the violence to “groups of troublemakers” they said were not affiliated with the official union rally. Reports indicated damage to property and fires set during the morning’s unrest.
Attendance figures for the demonstration varied, with police estimating approximately 30,000 participants while the ABVV union had projected higher numbers. Beyond the main march, the ACV organised a concurrent protest involving hundreds of activists at the headquarters of the governing coalition parties. The demonstrations reflected broader discontent over the government’s fiscal policies and proposed measures affecting wages, taxes and working conditions.
The clashes occurred amid heightened tensions following earlier unrest in the city of Liege, where authorities had banned gatherings after students clashed with police and damaged shops. Those incidents resulted in over 200 arrests and dozens of police injuries. Some younger protesters participating in the Brussels demonstrations indicated they were motivated by recent student activism in France and sought attention to educational concerns, expressing a sense of not being heard by officials.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI