Belgium: Riots on the fringes of union march against austerity package in Brussels
Trade unions marched in Brussels against the De Wever government's cuts. Masked rioters attacked police, who used water cannon and tear gas. There were arrests in Liège.
Archive image · Photo: M0tty / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Trade unions once again demonstrated in Brussels against the Belgian government's austerity plans, ZDFheute reports. Police said the march itself was peaceful. On its fringes, hundreds of young people, mostly dressed in black and masked, joined in, according to the Belga news agency. They threw firecrackers, sticks and glass bottles at officers, who responded with water cannon and tear gas. Scooters were set alight and bus shelter windows smashed.
The protests target budget cuts of up to €10 billion next year, with which Prime Minister Bart De Wever's government aims to tackle record debt. Pensions, the public sector and education are among the areas affected. Teachers oppose heavier workloads, while pupils are demanding better maintenance of school buildings. "You can feel the social tension and the anger simmering everywhere," one demonstrator told the AP news agency.
In Liège in eastern Belgium, where pupils have been protesting for days, police were pelted with stones and fireworks; there were injuries and several dozen arrests. The mayor banned gatherings until the start of the autumn holidays. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin blamed Antifa for the violence, which an Antifa representative denied to broadcaster RTBF. A strike has been announced for Monday.