Paul Magnette, leader of Belgium's Socialist Party (PS), has called for resistance against what he describes as a right-wing government that is “ineffective,” “increasingly radical,” and detached from the realities of everyday life.
Recent months have seen a surge in union actions opposing policies enacted by governments elected in 2024, with Magnette critiquing right-leaning executives for making decisions “from their ivory towers without ever listening to workers.”
Addressing a gathering of several hundred supporters at a community centre near Fleurus, he outlined the impact of government reforms on workers and vulnerable groups no longer represented in the ruling parties.
Magnette labelled the federal government as “ineffective” for merely shifting problems, such as redirecting those excluded from unemployment benefits to social services, while warning that the government's budget cuts are damaging pensions, social security, and healthcare, further deepening national debt and deficits.
He said the opposition PS has successfully pushed back against certain government measures, citing victories in areas such as maternity leave, training sanctions, and the protection of artists' status.
Invoking the spirit of the Resistance, particularly poignant as the 80th anniversary of the Liberation nears, Magnette denounced, without naming them, reactionary right-wing factions which, he said, undermine democracy and incite social division and hatred.
Traditionally, the PS leader speaks on Labour Day, 1 May, but this year’s pre-Labour Day event is part of a week-long celebration marking the party’s 140th anniversary, and aimed at pre-empting messages from rival parties such as the Belgian Workers Party (PTB) and Mouvement Réformateur (MR).
MR is scheduled to host former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal in Charleroi on Thursday.
The PS has begun restructuring after losing its leading position in Belgium's Francophone regions at the 2024 elections. Magnette acknowledges that the party is going through difficult times but insists that “we are never as strong as in the face of adversity.”
