Clashes broke out again in central Brussels on Monday afternoon, as hundreds of young people confronted riot police near Gare du Midi with stones, fireworks and vandalism. At least one vehicle was set alight and several others were damaged before police moved in with tear gas, armored vehicles and water cannon, making several arrests.
The Clemenceau metro station was shut for the afternoon and a number of bus routes in the city centre and around Midi were suspended, shortened or diverted as police worked to clear the area. It was the second outbreak of serious disorder in the same part of the city within a week.
A strike that drew tens of thousands on Friday
Monday's unrest followed a two day nationwide strike called by the public sector union CGSP-ACOD, which brought a crowd that police put at around 30,000 and organizers numbered closer to 50,000 onto the streets of Brussels on Friday. Students joined the march alongside public sector workers, objecting to education cuts and rising fees as well as the government's wider spending plans.
Friday's demonstration also turned violent near Gare du Midi and Brussels Central, where police used tear gas and water cannon after projectiles and gas canisters were thrown back at them. Officers initially reported 21 people detained, including 13 minors, a number that climbed past 100 by the end of the evening, split between roughly 30 judicial arrests and 80 administrative detentions.
Both the strike and Monday's follow up unrest are rooted in the same budget standoff that has consumed the De Wever government for weeks. The coalition has yet to agree on a package meant to bring Belgium's finances in line with European Union rules, and the prime minister canceled his state of the union address to parliament rather than present a plan still short of consensus. Negotiators are not expected to resolve their differences before late October at the earliest.
