Belgium Strike: 7 in 10 Trains to Run as Riots Rock Brussels

Belgium is bracing for a national public services strike on Monday, with rail operator SNCB confirming that seven in ten InterCity trains will run. The announcement came as the country counted the cost of violent riots that erupted on the margins of Friday’s national demonstration in Brussels, leading to 21 people being held in custody.

According to RTBF, the reduced service will run from Sunday evening at 22:00 through Monday, with seven in ten IC trains and one in two L and S trains operating. The strike was called by the socialist public-sector union CGSP/ACOD in protest at the federal government’s budget proposals.

A Two-Pronged Crisis

The week has exposed twin pressures on Belgium’s federal government: a looming wave of industrial action over its austerity programme, and a hardening security debate after Friday’s demonstration was hijacked by rioters.

Monday’s strike targets the public services directly, while Friday’s national action day—organised by the socialist ABVV/FGTB and Christian ACV/CSC unions—drew a crowd that organisers put at 50,000 but which Brussels police officially estimated at 30,000. The demonstration itself passed off peacefully, but masked rioters destroyed cars, buses and bus shelters, and set fire to shared bicycles and e-scooters near Brussels-Central and Brussels-Midi stations.

Riots and Arrests

Police reported that officers were repeatedly pelted with projectiles, and that dangerous materials were found including Molotov cocktails, petrol, pyrotechnics, a knife and a hammer. Three MIVB buses were attacked and damaged, while a De Lijn bus at Brussels-South was completely destroyed. No injuries were reported.

As VRT NWS reported, 110 people were initially detained, of whom 21 were brought before the prosecutor’s office—17 minors and four adults. The charges include arson, armed rebellion, violence, vandalism, weapons possession and threats. Calm had largely returned to the Brussels streets by around 21:30 on Friday.

Police Unions Demand a Firmer Line

VRT NWS reported that Vincent Houssin of the VSOA police union called on local and national authorities to apply a much stricter tolerance threshold. “You don’t need to be an officer to see the difference between the good citizen and the masked individuals,” he said. He rejected characterising the rioters as youths or students, calling them “krapuul”—outright scum—and argued they must be dealt with very harshly.

Houssin said he felt let down by authorities who make big declarations in the media “but ultimately nothing happens in practice,” and advocated for a command centre under the Interior Minister.

Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) struck a firm tone, saying “the state will never let itself be intimidated” and that the police and judicial response would be proportionate to the damage caused. He added that security forces are too often ridiculed, insulted and pelted with stones, and that “the only and true guilty parties of the violence are these rioters and their supporters.”

Political Fallout

The unrest has sharpened divisions over accountability. MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez accused the unions of irresponsibility and said he wants Parliament to move without delay to make trade unions financially responsible for damage, drawing a parallel with football clubs being held responsible for their supporters.

ABVV/FGTB president Bert Engelaar rejected the suggestion, noting that police said the rioters had nothing to do with the unions. “We can hardly be held responsible for someone else’s perpetrators,” he said. “Demonstrating and striking is still a democratic right.”

PS president Paul Magnette regretted that the violence overshadowed the message that government measures are damaging purchasing power, and expressed sympathy for protesting students. N-VA federal faction leader Axel Ronse said he understood concerns but questioned demonstrating over a budget still being drafted, and urged unions to set aside their disputes and unite.

What to Watch

Attention now turns to whether Monday’s strike passes off peacefully and how far disruption spreads beyond rail. The federal government was scheduled to resume budget talks on Saturday, with negotiations set to continue over the weekend on the budget, purchasing power, pensions and social protection.

Unions have warned that a general strike could follow in November if their red lines are crossed—making the coming weeks a critical test of whether Belgium’s social dialogue can hold.