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Clashes broke out near Brussels Central Station on Friday during a demonstration against the Belgian federal government’s austerity policies, with police using tear gas and water cannons to disperse groups of rioters, according to public broadcaster VRT and news agency Belga.
Hundreds of young people, many dressed in black and wearing masks, threw stones, glass bottles, wooden beams and rubbish bins at police, the outlets reported. Officers were deployed in large numbers around the station and carried out preventive checks on groups not wearing trade union colours.
Demonstrators also set off firecrackers and fireworks. Bicycles were set alight at Albertina Square, sending a large plume of smoke into the air. Police made several arrests.
The unrest coincided with a national demonstration organised by ABVV, which began at 10 a.m. local time. Protesters marched from Brussels Central Station towards Brussels South Station under the slogan “Stay out of our pockets.”
Police put the turnout at 30,000, while ABVV had previously estimated that 50,000 people would attend.
The union opposes potential government measures affecting purchasing power, the wage indexation system and value-added tax, as well as plans to introduce annualised working time. The government is considering a new budget.
Before the march, ABVV Chairman Bert Engelaar warned that a nationwide strike could take place in November if the government crossed the union’s “red lines.”
Separately, Christian trade union ACV organised a protest involving hundreds of activists at the Brussels headquarters of parties in Belgium’s governing coalition. Public transport and airport services were severely disrupted amid the demonstrations.
