Brussels:Demonstrations in Brussels began peacefully but tensions escalated as the day progressed, with police resorting to using pepper spray and protesters setting up a barricade, as reported by the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF. Meanwhile, the city of Liege remained calm during the protests.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, around 300 individuals gathered at Mont des Arts in central Brussels at noon, heeding calls from organizations such as Front des Meres, Ecole en Lutte, and Jeunesse Organisee et Combative. The demonstration aimed to protest against alleged police violence and federal government reforms.

The gathering had official authorization; however, an unplanned march towards the Marolles district and Brussels-South railway station was not permitted. By approximately 2 pm local time (1200 GMT), a group of young protesters breached a police cordon, prompting officers to deploy pepper spray in the Chaussee de Forest area within the Saint-Gilles district.

Near Porte de Hal, protesters constructed a barricade using electric scooters, bicycles, road signs, and construction materials. The protests took place amid a backdrop of false demonstration calls that circulated on TikTok and Instagram, spread through AI-generated posters. As a result, precautionary measures were taken, including the closure and boarding up of shop windows in central Brussels.