BRUSSELS: Hundreds of youths faced off with riot police in the streets of Brussels Friday in chaotic scenes on the sidelines of a workers’ march, with officers firing water cannon and tear gas at the crowd.
Some 30,000 people turned out for the national strike against government austerity measures, police said, with tensions running high after days of student protests inspired by those in France.
Police said they deployed water cannon and tear gas after being targeted with sticks and bottles by young people on the edge of the protest, taking place in the city’s central tourist district.
“Several hundred youths gathered along with the demonstrators,” police said in a statement. “The atmosphere gradually became more tense and there were serious disturbances to public order.”
Police said the main trade union march had gone ahead peacefully.
But an AFP team on its sidelines witnessed groups of youths — numbering hundreds in total — facing off repeatedly with police as tear gas filled the air.
High-school students from Belgium’s French-speaking community have been demonstrating against education budget cuts — inspired in part by protests across the border in France.
Several days of demonstrations in the city of Liege — the epicenter of the protests — descended into violence, with some 200 arrests carried out and dozens of police officers wounded.
Friday’s day of action was the latest in a series of strikes in recent months against efforts by Prime Minister Bart De Wever to save 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion) over the next few years in a bid to reduce the country’s high deficit.
The Flemish conservative is currently locked in protracted talks with his coalition partners to try to find a deal on the cuts by October 13.
Trade unions are pushing for the government to increase taxes on highest earners, rather than impose cuts in areas like health and hike VAT.
“Things are getting worse at an ever-faster rate, people have had enough. Like the teachers, the pupils can also see that conditions are deteriorating,” said union representative Luc Toussaint.
