30,000 March in Brussels Against Budget Cuts; 21 Detained After Clashes
Union members, joined by hundreds of students, marched in Brussels on Friday, 9 October 2026, as part of a national strike against planned government budget cuts. Police said the march itself, joined by around 30,000 people, passed off peacefully.
A small group of protesters clashed with police near Brussels Central Station and in central Brussels. A few dozen masked protesters dressed in black threw bottles, bricks, stones and fireworks at police, set fires, including on buses, and damaged public property, while anti-police graffiti covered nearby walls. Firefighters extinguished the fires and police responded with water cannon and tear gas.
Police said 21 people had been detained or arrested, including 13 minors. The strike was called by Belgium's two largest unions, the socialist FGTB/ABVV and the Christian CSC/ACV, which oppose budget measures they say would make workers, pensioners and low-income households bear the burden of reducing the country's deficit. The walkout disrupted public transport and air travel, and many schools and childcare facilities were also affected.
Among the demonstrators, some carried placards saying they had skipped class to defend class, and that education is a right, not a privilege. The Belgian action is part of a wider wave of protests in Europe, with students in France and Italy taking to the streets over education funding and tens of thousands rallying in Spain over housing. Teachers also marched in Brussels against cost-cutting by the French-speaking Community government, including two extra working hours a week without a pay rise, decided in June.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 布鲁塞尔中央车站。照片：Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France，CC BY 2.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons（Brussels Central station (8177073001).jpg）
