Police officers were deployed to multiple locations across Brussels on Friday afternoon following renewed protests against austerity measures in French-speaking education.
The deployments follow severe disruptions on Thursday when approximately 3,000 teachers and students travelled to Brussels to demonstrate against an austerity decree proposed by the Parliament of the French-speaking Community.
Thursday's protests resulted in confrontations with law enforcement, leading to the arrest of around 10 rioters.
Activists circulated calls on social media for renewed demonstrations on Friday at 13:00 near the French-speaking Community's parliament to protest both the budget cuts and the police response.
Local authorities confirmed that officers intervened at several locations. Near Brussels Central Station, officers detained multiple young people, though police have not yet released official figures regarding total arrests.
Simultaneously, a separate protest took place at the CERIA campus on Avenue Émile Gryson in Anderlecht. The Midi police zone –covering the municipalities of Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles, and Forest – confirmed that students blocked streets. Officers monitored the campus demonstration, which proceeded peacefully.
