Thousands of people marched through Brussels on Sunday afternoon to protest against rising military spending and budget cuts affecting social services.
The demonstration, organised by dozens of Belgian and European civil society organisations under the slogan "Welfare not warfare", brought protesters onto the streets of the capital as debates over defence spending continue to intensify across Europe.
Organisers said they were opposing what they described as the "irresponsible militarisation" of society and criticised European Union plans to invest an additional €800 billion in defence.
"This money is being taken away from social services, healthcare, education, employment, peacebuilding, international cooperation, the sustainable energy transition and climate justice," organisers said in a statement.
They argued that a similar trend was emerging in Belgium, where social spending cuts were being presented as necessary while additional military expenditure was being approved without meaningful public debate.
According to protesters, Belgian defence spending increased by 59% between 2024 and 2025.
The march also took place days after the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) published a report showing that the world's nine nuclear-armed states spent a combined $119 billion on their nuclear arsenals in 2025, a 19% increase compared with the previous year.
Rather than increasing military budgets, organisers argued that governments should invest in healthcare, education, decent work, social protection and climate policies.
"Sustainable development is the best guarantee of a safe and stable society, and therefore the best way to prevent conflict," they said, calling for greater international solidarity, cooperation and respect for human rights.
The march set off from Brussels North Station and headed towards Place Jean Rey in the European Quarter via the inner ring road and Rue Joseph II.
