Thousands of protestors gather in Belgian cities to protest budget cuts
Thousands of people protested in Belgian cities on Tuesday against the federal government's planned budget cuts. The protests, organised by the ACV and ABVV unions, disrupted public transport, air travel and ports.
Several protests took place in Flanders. Local police counted between 4,000 and 5,000 demonstrators in Antwerp. Another 3,700 demonstrators gathered in Brussels, while around 2,000 marched through the centre of Ghent. Protests also took place in Walloon cities, including Charleroi, Liège and Namur.
The thousands of Belgians were protesting against the policies of the De Wever government, which aims to reduce Belgium's budget deficit by cutting spending. The ACV union, one of the organisers of the protests, argues that workers will have to work harder while wages remain frozen.
"As the government's plans take shape and become law, it is becoming increasingly clear what they will mean for people," ACV president Ann Vermogen told Radio 1 on Tuesday morning. If the government was prepared to "listen and adjust" its plans, she added, no further action would be necessary.
Delays and cancellations
The protests caused widespread disruption. All departing flights from Brussels and Charleroi airports were cancelled, while many buses, trams and trains were delayed or scrapped. Shipping in the port of Antwerp was halted, leaving more than 200 barges and over 70 seagoing vessels stranded.
Union representatives met with David Clarinval, the federal minister for employment and the economy, in Bièvre. Despite the meeting, it seems that Tuesday's protests will not be the last. Earlier, the socialist union ACOD had called for a nationwide strike in the public sector on Tuesday 20 May to protest against budget cuts in public services.
A protest in Liège. © BELGA PHOTO / VIDEO THOMAS MICHIELS
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