Brussels Anti-Austerity March Draws Thousands as Street Clashes Break Out

Thousands of people marched through Brussels on Friday against the Belgian federal government's austerity plans, while a smaller group clashed with police near the central railway station. Police said the union march itself was peaceful and that the violence came from people not linked to it. A public-sector walkout is planned for Monday.

Al Jazeera and Fox News, the latter citing The Associated Press, reported that riot police used tear gas and water cannon against the rioters. Several fires were set. The numbers below show how big the day was and what is driving the anger.

The key numbers behind the Brussels protest

• 30,000: The attendance estimate given by police, according to both Al Jazeera and the AP. The ABVV union had earlier estimated 50,000, so the two counts differ widely.
• 2: The number of large unions behind the action. The socialist ABVV and the Christian ACV organized the strike and the march from Brussels Central station to Brussels South Station.
• More than 200: The number of people arrested in the eastern city of Liege during a week of tension before the Brussels protest, according to Al Jazeera. Dozens of police officers were injured there. Fox News, citing local media, put the number of arrested students at 107, so reports differ on the total.
• 43%: The roughly proportional rise in standard university tuition set by Belgium's French Community government this summer, according to Fox News. Fees went from €835 to €1,194 as part of a broader austerity program.
• Monday: The date of a separate public-sector walkout, which Fox News said the unions have planned.

What happened on the streets

The unions' march went ahead under a slogan that translates as “stay out of our pockets,” according to Al Jazeera. Fox News said union members and supporters wore red or green and marched peacefully.

Trouble centered on the area around Brussels Central station. The Belgian Times, cited by Al Jazeera, reported that a smaller group threw wooden beams, glass bottles and rubbish bins at police. The AP, as relayed by Fox News, described dozens of mostly young people in black with masks throwing rocks and firecrackers. Photos showed a man setting an electric scooter on fire.

Police were deployed in large numbers around the stations and checked groups of young people who were not wearing union colors, Al Jazeera reported. Al Jazeera's Rosie Birchard said from Brussels that the air smelled of burning and that protests flared up again after emergency services began cleaning up. Union leaders also distanced themselves from the unrest, according to the AP.

What is behind the anger

Al Jazeera said the protests stem from the government's austerity measures as officials consider a new budget. The unions object to possible measures affecting purchasing power, the wage indexation system and value-added tax, as well as plans to introduce annualized working time. Fox News described the protest as also driven by the general rise in the cost of living.

Education has become a second front. Fox News reported clashes between protesters and police in Brussels in June over the tuition increase and other problems in French-language education, including overcrowded classrooms and difficulty getting study materials. Birchard said some young people at Friday's protests were inspired by school protests in France and felt they were not being listened to.

Marie Gobert, a social worker and single mother who traveled from Namur, told the AP she “cannot make ends meet.” She said the rising cost of schools, public transport and train tickets worries her most.

What this means for people in Belgium

For residents and visitors in the capital, the immediate effect was disruption. Fox News reported that the unrest added to traffic across Brussels, and Al Jazeera described a heavy police presence around the city's main stations. Birchard noted that street violence in such protests often worsens in the evening.

More broadly, the protests show that wages, prices, taxes and tuition are at the center of the dispute over the federal budget. The Monday public-sector walkout means further action is already scheduled.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Fox News