Brussels clashes after austerity march leave buses burned and dozens arrested

Clashes near the stations

On Friday 9 October 2026, union members and hundreds of students marched through Brussels as part of a national strike against planned government budget cuts. A few dozen masked protesters, many of them young and dressed in black, threw rocks, firecrackers and other objects at police near Brussels Central and Gare du Midi, according to Reuters and AP witnesses. Riot police responded with tear gas, water cannon and baton charges, while firefighters put out several fires, including those on buses and a pile of city bikes and rental electric scooters. By the afternoon, ANSA reported that clashes near Gare du Midi had lasted almost three hours. Traffic and public transport across the city were disrupted, and the strike also affected air travel, schools and childcare facilities.

Peaceful march, violent fringe

The union march itself passed off peacefully, and police said that those causing public order problems were not linked to the rally. Union leaders said the rioters had nothing to do with their demonstration. Crowd estimates differ by source: local authorities put the number of participants at 30,000, while the socialist union FGTB put it at 50,000. AP described tens of thousands of people rallying against rising living costs and budget-tightening measures, and some demonstrators carried placards reading 'I skipped class to defend class' and 'Education is a right, not a privilege.' The Belgian walkout is part of a wave of protests across Europe, with students in France and Italy taking to the streets over education funding and tens of thousands rallying in Spain over a housing crisis.

Arrests and the government response

Provisional police figures show about 30 judicial arrests and 80 administrative detentions, with Deutsche Welle reporting more than 100 people detained in total. Administrative detentions are used to contain disturbances and can last up to 12 hours. Police said one bus and three vehicles belonging to a rental company were set on fire and four other buses were damaged, while Deutsche Welle reported that four buses of the regional STIB network were vandalized. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin wrote on social media that the police and criminal response would always match the damage caused.

The state will not be intimidated.

Budget talks and Liege

The protests coincide with budget negotiations led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever, whose government is seeking about 10 billion euros in additional funds for the federal accounts. Those talks take place in a closed-door budget conclave among the coalition leaders. Deutsche Welle described Friday's march as the fourth national demonstration of the year, after one in May. AP reported that a week of tensions in Liege preceded the Brussels violence, with authorities banning public gatherings after students clashed with police and vandalized shops, leading to more than 200 arrests and dozens of injured police officers. AP also noted that Belgium is mired in public debt, like neighbouring France and Italy.

Voices from the march

Marie Gobert, a single mother and social worker who travelled from Namur with one of her daughters, told AP that school costs had risen along with public transport and train ticket prices.

I work, but I cannot make ends meet.

She said she had never felt so anxious about the measures making her daily life difficult, and described growing anger across the country.

The education system is being dismantled and when young people want to speak out no one listens to them.