Several hundred protesters rally in Brussels as police keep watch over Saturday demonstration

A rally at the Mont des Arts

Around 12:15 on Saturday, 24 October, several hundred protesters gathered at the Mont des Arts in Brussels. The call came from several groups, including the Front des Mères, École en Lutte, Jeunesse organisée et combative (JOC) and Outils solidaires contre les violences policières (OSVP). The regional body safe.brussels put the attendance at 300 people.

Celia Ponce, who addressed the crowd, observed that few young people had made the trip, because they feared what they described as abusive police checks.

Demands and messages

Protesters said they wanted to keep demonstrating until the Arizona government falls. They denounced police violence at earlier rallies and chanted antifascist slogans along with "down with the police state". Le Soir reported slogans such as ACAB and "A bas l'Arizona".

We are here for the future of young people, for better work.

Speaking to the crowd, Ponce said the organisations rejected the Arizona government's reforms and those of education minister Valérie Glatigny (MR) in schools. She argued that governments wanted to destroy public services.

Everyone in society is angry. The only option left to us is to bring down the Arizona government.

SIC Notícias linked the protest to measures under discussion in the Belgian budget, including possible changes to the indexation of wages to inflation.

Calm across the capital

The protest proceeded peacefully, but authorities feared new clashes and police kept a close watch across the city. Le Soir reported a strong police presence in central Brussels, and a police source said the rest of the capital was also calm. Shops on rue Neuve, avenue Louise and avenue de la Toison d'Or closed their doors and windows as a precaution.

RTBF reported that a few dozen people gathered peacefully at Place de l'Albertine, near the Gare Centrale. In Liège, the authorised demonstration drew only a few people for now.

Calls spread online

Most calls to protest in Brussels circulated on TikTok and Instagram. Many were AI-generated posters listing meeting places and times, including the Gare Centrale at 10:00, the Place de la Bourse at 12:00 and the European Parliament at 14:00. Most of the calls came from anonymous accounts such as @manif.belgique and @manifestationbx2026, which posted only these calls.