Belgian prosecutors summon 21 suspects after violent anti-austerity clashes in Brussels

Following violent scenes at a national anti-austerity demonstration in Brussels, prosecutors have ordered 21 people - 17 of them minors - to be presented to a judge. The disturbances on Friday involved masked individuals confronting police, igniting fires, and damaging buses, trams, car-sharing vehicles and electric scooters near the city’s main railway stations. Police first detained around 110 participants, including about 80 administrative detentions and 30 judicial arrests, before narrowing the case to the 21 suspects.

Charges under investigation include arson, vandalism, weapons offences, armed resistance and threats. Three additional magistrates have been assigned to the inquiry, and prosecutors emphasized that freedom of expression must be balanced with respect for public safety. The broader protest, organized by trade unions, drew tens of thousands of participants opposing the government’s fiscal reforms.