Police and protesters clash in Brussels as anti-austerity rally disrupts city
- On Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, approximately 30,000 people rallied in Brussels for a national strike against government austerity measures. Clashes erupted near Brussels Central Station as riot police deployed water cannon and tear gas against masked youths who threw rocks and set fires.
- Trade unions organized the strike to oppose Prime Minister Bart De Wever's plan to save 10 billion euros over coming years to reduce Belgium's high public debt. De Wever is locked in protracted negotiations with coalition partners to finalize the budget by 13 October.
- Hundreds of students joined the march, protesting rising education costs and reforms they fear will make higher education less accessible. Emilie L'Honneux, a 23-year-old student from Liege, said "We're not taken into account at all," noting demonstrations were inspired by similar protests in France.
- Police detained 21 people, including 13 minors, following the clashes near the station and central Brussels. Authorities emphasized that those who caused public order problems were not linked to the peaceful union rally, while firefighters extinguished fires set to city bikes and buses.
- The protests occur amid a wider wave of unrest across Europe, with students in France, Italy, and Spain also demonstrating over education and housing concerns. Belgium faces a hard deadline of 13 October to secure its budget deal, intensifying pressure on the government as public debt remains high.
98 Articles
98 Articles
The Belgian police used water cannons and tear gas after spraying projectiles.
It is now urban guerrilla in Brussels, with several hundred hooded protesters who in front of the Gare du Midi - the main station of the city - attacked with launch...
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Brussels on Friday against rising living costs and measures being promoted by the Belgian government, with the mobilization also marked by clashes between police and rioters. Incidents occurred at Brussels' central train station, when dozens of protesters, many of whom were young, dressed in black and with their faces covered, threw stones and firecrackers at police, the Associated Press reports. They…
A small group of protesters clashed with the police in Brussels on Friday (9), while trade unionists, accompanied by hundreds of students, took part in a march during a national strike against the budget cuts planned by the Belgian government. Dozens of masked protesters and black dresses threw stones and other objects at police officers, while slogans against police echoed through the streets and picks with similar messages covered nearby walls…
Barricades with fired bikes, stones against the police and hydrants to disperse the protesters. While the trade union procession is passing through the centre of Brussels on the day of protest against the federal government's politics and budget projects, a large group of very young students are facing law enforcement forces in front of the city's central station. The clashes, with fired objects and throwing stones are also spreading in other st…
At least twenty people, mainly minors, have been arrested this Friday in the...
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