Police, protesters clash as fuel price unrest spreads
Police and hundreds of ‘‘Yellow Jacket’’ protesters upset over high taxes and living costs have clashed in Brussels. Dozens were detained as the grassroots movement that started in France two weeks ago gains traction in Belgium.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters, who threw rocks and paving stones after they were blocked from approaching government buildings in Brussels yesterday.
Brussels city police spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere estimated that over 300 people were involved in the clashes.
Riot police charged the protesters after they attacked two police vehicles, overturning one and setting both alight. Road signs were uprooted and traffic lights smashed.
About 60 people were charged with disturbing public order. Many were carrying objects that police considered to be dangerous, including razor blades, tyre levers and pepper spray, Van De Keere said.
Dozens of protesters wearing the movement’s high-visibility vests blocked city streets, sometimes with pieces of scaffolding, causing traffic chaos along major roads. Some handed out vests to bystanders and people stuck in cars.
Prime Minister Charles Michel has said he is willing to talk with the protest leaders, but it was not immediately clear whether any meeting had taken place.
It is unclear exactly who the protesters are. Small rallies and roadblocks have been going on in the French-speaking south of Belgium for about two weeks. Some appeared to be linked to high fuel prices, seen as the cause of the protest movement in neighbouring France.
Belgian media say many people are out in the streets over high taxes and food prices, low wages and pensions, but some have questioned whether the movement is being exploited by far-left and far-right groups.