Left-Wing Riots Spread to Brussels as Antifa Infiltration Alleged

The student demonstrations that have shaken France have now spread into neighbouring Belgium, where authorities say violent groups quickly seized control of protests in Brussels.

Some 110 people were arrested in Brussels on Friday after a day of unrest disrupted public transport and flights, damaged buildings and left several vehicles burned out. Police engaged in running battles with groups described by authorities as organised rioters.

Friday’s unrest combined a local manifestation of the student protests seen across France with strikes and demonstrations organised by Belgian trade unions. When the groups converged near Brussels Central station, they were joined by masked participants, including alleged Black Bloc and Antifa activists, according to reports. The resulting confrontation transformed opposition to the government of centre-right Prime Minister Bart de Wever into a riot.

Violence around Brussels Central included attacks on vehicles, arson and clashes with police. Several buses were set alight, while piles of rental e-bikes were used to build fires that burned intensely because of their lithium batteries. The bike company reportedly lost as many vehicles in a single day as it would normally lose over an entire year.

Demonstrations opposing the De Wever government have continued since it took office last year. The administration is seeking to reduce Belgium’s budget deficit and address public debt equivalent to roughly 110 per cent of GDP. The latest damage underscored the recurring nature of the unrest: bus shelters at Brussels Central had been destroyed only days earlier and had just been replaced.

After clearing protesters from the area around the railway station, riot police spent much of the afternoon pursuing rapidly moving groups across Brussels. Officers described the operation as a large-scale game of cat and mouse, with outbreaks of violence reported in several neighbourhoods.

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Police said the violence was separate from the student demonstrations and argued that the wider movement had been taken over by outside groups. Government minister Bernard Quintin told parliament this week that security services had warned him Antifa activists were entering the student movement and encouraging violence. He also accused adults of manipulating young protesters to deliver political messages through disorder, describing the alleged network as “Antifa-like.”

As in France, critics say Belgium’s student protests have been used by far-left activists to advance broader political and ethnic grievances. Demonstrations have featured a range of foreign flags, including Palestinian and Congolese banners. U.S. President Donald Trump has characterised the unrest in France as evidence of uncontrolled mass migration and rising Islamist aggression.

Brussels was not the only Belgian city to experience unrest in recent days. Authorities in Liège say far-left groups identified as Antifa have been active there for roughly two weeks and have also been accused of entering student demonstrations. The government said non-student outsiders had travelled to the city to intensify the disorder. Police arrested 50 people on Wednesday after officers were hit with cobblestones and fires were reported.

In Antwerp, veteran right-wing nationalist politician Filip Dewinter said he was assaulted on Friday by a group of Moroccan men who recognised him while he was walking to the town hall. Dewinter said he reported the incident to police and described the city’s security situation in sharply critical terms, alleging that members of the Moroccan community felt untouchable and that intimidation was being directed at those who disagreed with them.