Belgium: Protests against budget cuts bring together thousands

Tens of thousands of people protested in Brussels on Tuesday against budget cuts by the Belgian government, led by Flemish conservative Bart De Wever, in a protest that also disrupted the transport and education sectors.

This day of action in the country, called by the inter-union, takes place while budget negotiations are taking place in Belgium.

The federal government is preparing major cuts to its 2026 budget proposal, which was initially scheduled to be presented today but has been postponed for a week.

Police counted 80,000 protesters in the Belgian capital, a significantly higher number than the 60,000 people mobilized on February 13, after the formation of the new federal government.

The Belgian government "is implementing a brutal plan: a large-scale attack on social protection, public services, social security, and solidarity," the inter-union group accused.

"An entire generation refuses to allow what our parents and grandparents took a long time to build to be destroyed in six months," said Thierry Bodson, president of the FGTB (socialist), united with the other major Belgian unions in a common front, at the start of the demonstration.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who took office in early February, has already adopted a two-year limit on unemployment benefits and intends to implement a comprehensive pension reform, including the abolition of special schemes and the alignment of the situation of public employees with the private sector.

“Right to retire at 65” and “Wanted for pension theft” read the protesters’ signs, among banners and union flags.

Protesters, particularly in the education and social sectors, are also protesting against cost-cutting measures in the French-speaking part of the country, announced by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation executive.

"I'm here to demand my rights and those of my students. If things continue like this, what future will they have? I want this to change and for education to be taken more seriously," said Victoria Coya, a 27-year-old teacher, as quoted by Agence France-Presse.

Chantal Desmet, 59, unemployed, said she was “disgusted with the future of her children,” who cannot find work, concluding: “I feel sorry for the young people.”

Due to this day of action, air traffic was severely disrupted in Belgium.

"In order to continue to ensure the safety of passengers and staff, we have decided, in consultation with airlines, not to operate passenger flights departing on October 14," Brussels-Zaventem Airport, the country's largest, announced on its official website.

Incoming flights are also at risk of cancellation. The airport cited a strike by security service providers as the reason.

Charleroi airport, for the same reasons, “will not be able to operate scheduled departure and arrival flights” during the day, he warned.

Public transport was also severely disrupted in Brussels, as well as in Wallonia and Flanders, due to this call for mobilization.

Several people were arrested by police this morning (local time) after causing damage and starting fires near the Brussels inner ring road.

The Belga news agency also reported clashes between masked protesters and the police.