Police, protesters clash in Brussels as anti-austerity rally disrupts city

Police and protesters clashed in Brussels on Friday as tens of thousands of people rallied in the Belgian capital against rising living costs and budget-tightening measures introduced by the government.

Dozens of protesters, many of them young, dressed in black and wearing masks, threw rocks and firecrackers at police at the central Brussels railway station, before setting several fires, one to a pile of city bikes and electric scooters. Riot police responded with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges, pushing the protesters from the area. Traffic and public transport across the city were disrupted. Police said that those “who caused the problems of public order are not linked” to the anti-austerity rally, which they said drew around 30,000 people.

The clashes came after a week of tensions in the city of Liege, where authorities placed a ban on public gatherings as students clashed with police and vandalised shops. More than 200 people were arrested in Liege, and dozens of police were injured. Union movements had hoped to draw tens of thousands of people to Brussels as the Belgian Government struggles to finalise a budget for next year. Belgium is mired in public debt, like its neighbour France and also Italy.

Union leaders said the rioters had nothing to do with their rally. Union members and their supporters were dressed colourfully, clad in red or green, and their march through the Brussels city centre passed off peacefully.