Clashes between protesters and police erupted in Brussels during a demonstration on Saturday. Tensions escalated near Brussels-Midi station, where police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse some of the participants. After the intervention of the security forces, the protesters were pushed back towards the station.
Between 500 and 600 people gathered on the Esplanade de l'Europe near the station, The Brussels Times reported. The march started shortly before 11:00, but police blocked its route as the group headed south. Shortly before 13:00, the situation escalated into riots. According to initial reports, some of the demonstrators used construction fences to advance towards the police, after which they threw various objects at them.
Reuters reports that several hundred people, mostly young people, attended the protest. Many of them wore masks and chanted anti-fascist slogans. According to a witness to the agency, some demonstrators overturned a car. Belgian student organizations say they are protesting against increased education spending and reforms that they say could limit access to higher education.
The local publication The Brussels Times describes those gathered in Brussels mainly as anti-fascist activists and points out that the protest is not related to student demonstrations in recent weeks in France and Belgium. However, the broader wave of protests in the region is related to dissatisfaction with education spending, public spending and living conditions.
„What is happening in Brussels is no longer an ordinary protest. "All necessary means will be used to restore order in the face of the unrest," Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quenten said.There are currently no confirmed reports of injuries or arrests in the clashes. A separate demonstration was also held in Liege, where students are protesting against the rising cost of education and difficulties in accessing educational materials.
Sources: brusselstimes.com, internazionale.it