بروكسل بعد باريس ومدريد..الاحتجاجات تستعر والمواجهات تمتد إلى قلب أوروبا

It seems that the spark of protests has begun to roll like a fireball in European countries, as after France and Spain, the flames reached Belgium (on Friday), turning several streets in the capital Brussels into a battleground between police and masked protesters, coinciding with a massive march against the rising cost of living and government spending cuts.

30,000 Take to the Streets in Brussels

In Brussels, around 30,000 people participated in the anti-austerity march, according to police estimates. However, the scene near the central train station took a different turn, as dozens of protesters, mostly young people wearing black clothing and masks, threw stones and fireworks at security forces, igniting several fires, including one in a pile of public bicycles and electric scooters. For their part, riot police resorted to using tear gas, water cannons, and batons to disperse them from the area, and the effects of the clashes extended to traffic and public transport, which were disrupted throughout the city. The police confirmed that the individuals "who caused disturbances to public order are not linked" to the anti-austerity march, thus distinguishing between the protest against government policies and the violence that occurred on its fringes. The clashes in Brussels followed days of tension in the city of Liège, where authorities imposed a ban on public gatherings after clashes between students and police and acts of vandalism targeting shops. The unrest resulted in the arrest of more than 200 people and injuries to dozens of security personnel.

Overcrowded Classrooms and Rising Education Costs

The rising costs of education, overcrowded classrooms, and difficulty in obtaining educational materials—issues that weigh heavily on students in the French-speaking education system—were the main reasons fueling student anger. The increase in university fees for most students from 835 to 1194 euros intensified the objections, as it added a new financial burden to educational costs. Amid this discontent, the protests in France gave a boost to student movements in Belgium; students stated that the similarity of their problems to the demands of their French counterparts encouraged them to return to the streets.

In France, the protests began within schools, where students and teachers demanded improvements to buildings, provision of educational staff, and relief from overcrowded classrooms. The movement then expanded with the joining of parents and university students, amid criticisms of disparities in educational conditions and acts of violence that accompanied some protests. In response to this pressure, the government announced a plan to recruit about three thousand qualified teachers to fill vacancies. However, student unions considered the step a preliminary gain and pledged to continue protesting.

The Crisis Extends to the Political Scene

As of Friday, 141 schools remained closed, while the government found itself facing a difficult equation of meeting demands for increased spending on education while trying to curb public debt. In Spain, housing topped the reasons for anger, with rising rents and difficulty in finding affordable accommodation. The protests gained new momentum following the death of María del Carmen Abascal, known as "Maricarmen," at the age of 87, two weeks after she was evicted from her home in Madrid.

Data from the real estate site "Idealista," reported by the Associated Press, reveals part of the scale of the crisis; the average rent in Spain has nearly doubled over the past ten years. The repercussions of the crisis did not stop at the streets but extended to the political scene, with calls for early elections in November after parliament rejected government proposals to address it. As living pressures continue, these protests may resonate in other European cities, especially when the rising costs of housing and education coincide with cuts in public service spending.