Union demonstration in Brussels ends in violence

Police used tear gas and water cannon yesterday afternoon during a violent clash with demonstrators near Brussels South station. The demonstrators were protesting against austerity measures announced by the federal and Flemish governments, which they claim will unfairly affect workers’ incomes and pension benefits.

Organisers initially expected 60,000 demonstrators, but the final number was close to 120,000, according to union estimates. The number could have been higher, but many people failed to reach Brussels because trains were filled to capacity. Some trains were delayed later in the morning after police closed North Station because of overcrowding on the platforms.

The march became increasingly violent in the early afternoon after a group of about 150 protestors stormed the headquarters of the Belgian Employers’ Federation close to Central Station, and another group threw stones at a building belonging to the Belgian rail company, NMBS, in the Hallepoort neighbourhood. A car was overturned and a police motorbike set on fire during the disturbances. Fifteen injured people were taken to hospital, the Red Cross said.

Political analysts were surprised to see former prime minister Elio Di Rupo among the ranks of the protestors, along with former vice-prime minister Laurette Onkelinx, as ministers usually keep a low political profile after they have left office. “It’s not normal that measures are introduced on the backs of workers and the retired,” Di Rupo said.

Yesterday’s demonstration was the first in a series of actions planned for the coming weeks. Three regional protests are in the pipeline, followed by a general strike on 15 December.

The majority of demonstrators who marched in Brussels were not from the private sector, according to Flanders’ chamber of commerce, Voka. “Most of them clearly came from trade union organisations or government offices,” it said in a statement.

Prime minister Charles Michel and the full cabinet met with a delegation of trade union leaders after the demonstration. He called on the unions to resume discussions on the austerity measures, which they agreed to do. Interior minister Jan Jambon said the coalition agreement was a framework that allowed for further discussion.

photo by Jonathan Raa/Demotix/Corbis