Brussels Anti-Austerity Protest Escalates Into Police Confrontation; Workers and Students in Head-On Collision With Spending-Cut Plan

On October 9, 2026, the anti-austerity protest led by Belgian trade unions in Brussels escalated into a police-civilian confrontation outside the main march. According to Africanews (非洲新闻), police estimated the day's march at roughly 30,000 people; initially participants held placards, played music and processed through the capital; near Brussels-South station, some demonstrators threw objects and fireworks at officers, and some threw tear gas canisters back, while police responded with high-pressure water cannons and tear gas, deploying reinforcement units equipped with tear gas grenade launchers and dispatching helicopter support. Disturbances also broke out near Brussels-Central station.

Police said the violence occurred at the edges of the main march, separate from the union-led peaceful protest. The core demands of the union mobilization pointed directly at the spending-cut plan — according to Africanews, the unions oppose measures that could alter the wage indexation mechanism and adjust value-added tax, argue that wealthier segments should bear a heavier share, and worry the plan will erode the purchasing power of workers, retirees and low-income families. Students also joined the march, opposing education funding cuts, tuition increases and reforms they fear will make university education less affordable.

Police initially detained 21 people, including 13 minors; by Friday evening the figure climbed to more than 100, of whom about 30 were judicial arrests and 80 were administrative detentions. Africanews noted that despite clashes, fires and property damage, no confirmed casualty figures had emerged. Police also said the union-led main march itself remained peaceful.