Riots, transit disruptions shake Brussels amid stalled budget talks
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- Authorities deployed tear gas, heavy police units, and water cannons to control the crowds near Gare du Midi and Central station.
- Brussels public transport operator STIB suspended several bus routes and closed Clemenceau metro station as safety precautions.
Severe clashes and acts of vandalism broke out across Brussels on Monday afternoon as nationwide public sector strikes and student anti-austerity demonstrations escalated into confrontations with law enforcement, according to Belgian media.
Hundreds of youths launched mortar-type fireworks, projectiles, and stones at police cordons. Protesters set at least one vehicle on fire and damaged several surrounding cars, as stated by eyewitnesses at the scene.
In response, police deployed tear gas, armored vehicles, and water cannons to disperse the crowd, making several arrests on the scene.
Public transport operator STIB diverted multiple bus lines in the city center and halted metro service at Clemenceau station to secure transit corridors.
The outbreak of violence comes amid a two-day nationwide strike organized by the CGSP-ACOD public sector union.
Tens of thousands of workers and students have rallied across Belgium to oppose proposed government spending cuts, rising living costs, and budget-tightening policies.
The political tension has reached a high point following news from the Prime Minister’s office over the weekend that coalition partners failed to reach a federal budget consensus.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever was forced to cancel his planned State of the Union address to parliament on Tuesday, warning that painful structural cuts are required to prevent a mounting national debt and interest-cost crisis.
Media reports suggest federal budget negotiations could now remain deadlocked until late October or early November.
Monday's unrest follows Friday’s massive national union demonstration, which brought an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 demonstrators into the streets of Brussels.
