Police in Brussels scuffle with protesters angered by austerity plans

(14 Oct 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brussels, Belgium - 14 October 2025
1. Protesters booing and pelting Brussels police officers on bikes with objects
2. Protesters defacing the Hilton Grand Place hotel where the policer officers on bikes were sheltering from the violence
3. Bike patrol exiting the Hilton hotel after protesters were dispersed
4. Police officers charging the crowd, protester jump kicking a police officer in the back, police jumping on top of the man, pushing him to the ground
5. Another protester pushing an officer to the ground, while officers deal with protester in shot 4
6. View of the bike patrol standing in front of the Hilton hotel
7. Police water canon spraying protesters and driving over shareable e-bikes placed in the road by protesters
8. Wide of the police water canon
9. Close of an e-bike underneath moving water canon
10. Police tear gas filling up a small street with protesters
11. View from behind of the water canon truck in action
12. Line of riot police clacking their shields to disperse the crowd
13. Police detaining protesters
14. Protesters fighting with police
15. Police spraying the crowd, protesters scuffling with police officers
16. Various of water canon chasing protesters
STORYLINE:
Belgian police used tear gas and a water cannon in an attempt to disperse tens of thousands of people who flooded Brussels on Tuesday to protest Prime Minister Bart De Wever's proposed austerity measures.

Minor scuffles broke out between police and protesters, some of whom played drums and horns and set off flares and smoke bombs, while chanting against cuts to social welfare programs.

The unusually large protest crippled traffic in the heart of the Belgian capital, blocking major roads.

Strikes led to most flights being canceled at Brussels' airport.

Organizers estimated more than 150,000 people joined the demonstration, while the police put the crowd at 80,000.

Police vehicles chasing protesters were seen to smash up bicycles.

Officers out of uniform but identified by red arm bands detained protesters, tying their hand with plastic bands.

At one point, police officers on bicycles sheltered inside a hotel from a large group of protesters.

Belgium's Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt said on X that she had filmed protesters vandalizing the immigration office building downtown.

Belgium’s three major trade unions organized the protest and nationwide strikes against cuts to the pension, unemployment benefits, and health care systems proposed by De Wever.

He has vowed to slash spending to try and overcome the country's economic problems, which include a national debt totaling just over 100% of GDP, putting it among the worst in the 27-nation European Union.

De Wever, a Flemish nationalist, took office in February with the formation of the so-called “Arizona Government,” named after the colors of the American state flag that resemble those of the Belgium’s ruling coalition parties.

Protesters threw sandbags and trash at a cardboard cut-outs of De Wever, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, and Finance Minister Jan Jambon, holding signs reading in French: “Imposing night shifts without bonus,” “More work for less pension," and “Less contribution from high earners,” referring to widespread criticism of the government's refusal to increase taxes on the wealthy.

“Arizona promised; Arizona lied,” read an enormous sign in Dutch at the protest.

Other signs showed a red line through the number 67, signifying disapproval of government plans to raise the retirement age by two years by 2030.


#belgium #brussels #protest

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