Brussels Protests Turn Violent as Police Fire Tear Gas

Police in Brussels deployed water cannon and tear gas on Friday after groups of black-clad youths clashed with officers near the city’s central station, as a national trade-union action day against the federal austerity budget converged with a wave of pupil protests over education policy.

The confrontations broke out shortly before midday, when several hundred young people mixed among union marchers, set off fireworks and threw stones, glass bottles and wooden beams at police, according to VRT NWS. Officers charged at least twice and used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Youths also set fire to bicycles and e-scooters, and several arrests were made. The main union march itself continued largely without incident.

A Collision of Two Movements

Friday’s unrest brought together two separate protest currents that have been building across Belgium and neighbouring France for more than a week.

The first was a national action day organised by the socialist ABVV/FGTB and Christian ACV/CSC unions against the federal government’s austerity plans. The “Arizona” coalition led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever is seeking roughly 10 billion euros in additional budget savings by the end of the legislature in 2029, against a national deficit of about 33 billion euros, as Nieuwsblad reported. Measures under discussion include limiting automatic wage indexation, a possible VAT increase from 21 to 22 percent, and the annualisation of working time.

The second current was a pupil and student movement that began in Wallonia and the French-speaking community - and in France - pressing grievances over education savings, teaching hours and working conditions, tuition and transport costs.

Union Red Lines and a Strike Threat

Union leaders framed the action day as a defence of ordinary workers against a budget that asks labour to bear the burden while sparing wealth.

“They wanted us not to take to the streets because they dare not bear the consequences of their social dismantling… Well comrades, look around you: here we are,” ABVV/FGTB general secretary Selena Carbonero Fernandez told the crowd, according to VRT NWS.

ACV/CSC president Ann Vermorgen struck a similar note: “Why must people with income from labour contribute more than people with income from wealth, shares or real estate?”

ABVV/FGTB has set three red lines - no changes to automatic wage indexation, no VAT increase, and no annualisation of working time - and has warned of a possible general strike in November if they are crossed. A date of 23 November has been floated. Teaching unions have announced a further day of action on 24 November, while a public-services strike was planned for Monday 12 October, the eve of De Wever’s general policy speech.

Pupil Anger Spills Into the Capital

Separately, pupils demonstrating against school policies in Wallonia and France blocked a street in central Brussels, prompting police to charge at demonstrators, VRT NWS reported.

The pupil movement began spontaneously in late September, spread largely through social media, and has been most intense in Liege - nicknamed “la cite ardente,” the fiery city - where repeated rioting since 1 October prompted authorities to ban gatherings of more than three people until 16 October. More than 200 people have been arrested there, according to police counts.

In France, a parallel movement has rattled the government. On 8 October, some 71,500 students demonstrated, with 504 arrests and 48 officers injured, and Paris announced 3,000 extra reserve teachers in response. UNEF student union secretary-general Manon Moret called it “a historic mobilisation” - the largest youth turnout in two decades.

Disruption Across the Country

The action day disrupted transport nationwide, with walkouts affecting De Lijn, MIVB/STIB and LeTEC services and around 140 flights cancelled at Brussels Airport, as VRT NWS detailed. The FGTB march set off from Brussels-Central around 10:00 and reached Midi station at about 11:40, according to RTBF.

A Contested Narrative of Manipulation

The violence has triggered a sharp political dispute over who, if anyone, is steering the youth protests - a question that carries real weight as the government seeks to defuse or delegitimise the unrest.

Federal Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) alleged that an “Antifa-type” movement was manipulating children to spread violent political messages, calling it “totally unacceptable.” But Liege police chief Jean-Marc Demelenne was more cautious, saying it was too early to profile those involved and that the movement began spontaneously before attracting adults intent on smashing things.

A RTBF investigation concluded that the origins were indeed spontaneous - social-media-driven and inspired by France - but that it was later infiltrated by violent profiles. Youths described a man, whose photo was shared with RTBF, urging them to smash, possibly posing as a policeman or an extreme-right militant; police said he was not known at that stage but was being sought.

PS president Paul Magnette, defending the gathering ban in Liege, drew a distinction: “The vandals must be punished, but we must distinguish between people who only want to create chaos and students who protest peacefully and have perfectly legitimate demands.”

Both ABVV and ACV publicly disavowed violent troublemakers. “Professional troublemakers who use our demonstration to cause damage and intimidate people are not welcome,” ABVV/FGTB president Bert Engelaar said.

Underlying Grievances

Beneath the clashes lies a sense among many young people that mainstream politics has stopped listening. As RTBF reported in its examination of the movement, pupils describe their anger as legitimate and their demands as unheard.

One masked youth in Liege put it bluntly: “We decided to act and shake things up a bit, make fire, because nothing changes. But even when we do that, the state will not understand.”

Liege mayor Willy Demeyer recounted what pupils told him: “They explained to me that it is only since we set fire to bins that we are finally heard.”

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu acknowledged the depth of feeling behind the protests, saying “the anger of young people does not come out of nowhere” and that restoring trust was the responsibility of government and political parties alike.

What to Watch

The immediate focus shifts to 13 October, when De Wever is expected before Parliament with a budget - the deadline that will determine whether the unions’ red lines are crossed. Monday 12 October brings a public-services strike on the eve of that speech.

The deeper question is whether the youth movement, born on social media and now contested by ministers, will remain distinct from the union campaign or fuse with it. With a general strike threatened for November and pupil demands still unresolved, Belgium faces a volatile autumn - and a political class under pressure to show it is listening.