Overview
- Police said hundreds of partly masked youths attacked officers with sticks and bottles during a union-called action day in Brussels on Friday, and officers used water cannon and tear gas to disperse them.
- Authorities and AFP reported roughly 30,000 people took part in a largely peaceful demonstration near the historic centre while disturbances were concentrated near Bruxelles-Central station and the Marolles district.
- Journalists and witnesses described youths erecting street blockades, setting fires and throwing debris at security forces, and Brussels police said the violent incidents were not connected to the registered demonstrators' demands.
- The unrest follows days of student protests in Belgium's French-speaking community over education cuts, particularly in Liège, and protesters have cited recent large-scale unrest in France as an inspiration.
- Officials said crowd-control operations and investigations are ongoing, and the clashes amplify broader domestic opposition to the government's austerity programme and could influence future strike actions and policing plans.