Belgian police deployed tear gas and pepper spray during confrontations with demonstrators in Brussels on Saturday, as protests over education funding and alleged police brutality escalated
into clashes in the city centre.
The demonstration brought together several hundred people, many of them young protesters, continuing a series of rallies held in recent months. Participants called for greater investment in education and accused law enforcement officers of using excessive force against demonstrators.
Although Saturday’s unrest involved confrontations between protesters and police, the incidents were less extensive and violent than demonstrations witnessed in Belgium the previous week and larger-scale unrest in neighbouring France.
Witnesses from Reuters reported that officers pursued a group of demonstrators during one confrontation, causing several people to run and fall to the ground. Witnesses also saw police officers hitting and kicking one protester during the incident.
Tensions escalated further when demonstrators piled road signs and other objects onto a collection of rented electric scooters and bicycles, apparently attempting to set the pile on fire.
In a separate incident, police fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters, according to several Belgian media outlets.
Despite the confrontations, Brussels police said later in the afternoon that the demonstration had not resulted in any major incidents. In a statement, the force said officers had taken measures to maintain public order and protect public safety.
Police temporarily detained five people suspected of disturbing public order. Four additional individuals were detained on suspicion of possessing prohibited weapons and inciting rioting, according to the statement.
The demonstration forms part of a broader wave of protests in recent months, with participants demanding improved conditions in the education sector and raising concerns about police conduct during public demonstrations. Photo by Oxyman, Wikimedia commons.
