Chain action: protests by youth and trade unions spread to Belgium

Riots swept through the capital of Belgium on October 9. Trade unions took 30,000 people to the streets to protest against painful measures to reduce the budget deficit. But the main force of the protest was the youth. As a result, there were clashes with the police, the use of water cannons and tear gas, and two dozen detainees. Thus, Belgium became the third country, after France and Spain, to be engulfed by social protests. Their root causes differ, but there is also a common feature — the gap between the promise of social security and the real standard of living is growing, experts say. Anti-government sentiment is also fueled by the imminent elections in a number of countries. Why the authorities fail to quell discontent and whether to wait for the European "French revolution" — in the Izvestia article.

What unites the protests in Europe

On October 9, about 30,000 people, including students, took to the streets of Brussels. Clashes broke out in the city center: protesters threw bottles, bricks, stones and fireworks at the police, and set buildings on fire. Crowds of dissatisfied people were dispersed with water cannons and tear gas — law enforcement officers detained 21 people, including 13 minors. The protests even affected the passengers of the flights — employees of the company Alyzia, which handles baggage handling, joined the rallies. The day before, the performances took place in another major Belgian city of Liege.

In fact, there is an "export" of protest activity that initially captured France (where schoolchildren, students, teachers and representatives of other professions take to the streets for the fourth week) and Spain (where protests against housing inaccessibility have already provoked early elections).

In Belgium, as well as in France, they are dissatisfied with the situation in education: its cost is rising, and the quality is decreasing due to overcrowded classrooms. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and the main problem is much broader. The strike was organized by two of the country's largest trade unions, which oppose painful measures to reduce the budget deficit. They are sure that the consequences will eventually fall on the shoulders of workers, pensioners and poor families.

The special nerve of the situation is that it is in Brussels that the headquarters of the European Union and NATO are located, which definitely influence the social policy of the entire European space.

A "French" trace has also been found in Italy. According to local media, student groups occupied the buildings of several educational institutions. "We will do the same as in France: we will stop everything," the demonstrators chanted.

Opposition European parties are actively using popular unrest, which is beneficial to them on the eve of elections, for example, in France. Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the Unruly France party and a presidential candidate in the 2027 elections, supports the protests and criticizes the police, thus strengthening his position among young voters. This whole process is gradually gaining momentum, but this is just one element of the general social crisis that has engulfed France and Europe as a whole, said Karin Bechet, a doctor of public law.

All these problems did not arise suddenly, it's just that the majority of Europeans are still afraid to support those political forces that traditional parties label as almost fascist, says Natalia Eremina, professor at the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University. According to her, when general discontent does not lead to real changes, the youth assumes the role of reformers — this is the so-called law of the decisive minority. The younger generations are not afraid of change and feel the crisis much more acutely.

According to Maria Frolova, a researcher at the Institute of World Military Economics and Strategy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the common root of the protests is the growing gap between the promise of social security and the real lives of citizens. This does not mean that the whole of Europe has started spending dramatically less on the social sphere, but a common structural problem is obvious. In addition, it is exposed even more when billions of euros are spent on fueling the Ukrainian conflict, to which European youth have little to do.

What will the protests in Europe lead to?

However, it is too early to talk about a unified European protest movement, says Nikolai Topornin, director of the Center for European Information. The rallies have rather national features and a pan-European "French" revolution is not expected yet.

Maria Frolova believes that the gradual spread of the protest wave and the borrowing of slogans is more likely than the rapid emergence of a single pan-European movement. Similarity of discontent does not mean unity of demands and organization, but a large-scale crisis requires a common cause (for example, simultaneous cuts in social spending), as well as an agreed program and close coordination of student associations with trade unions throughout the EU.

And the authorities are still trying to fix the situation. Moreover, the upcoming election campaigns leave no other choice. In France, the government has already promised to send 3,000 new teachers to schools, but the protesters considered this measure insufficient and scheduled a new action for October 13.

However, reducing the shortage of personnel solves only part of the problem: to improve the education system, constant and significant expenditures are needed. Thierry Mariani, a member of the European Parliament, believes that the authorities' capabilities are limited by the growing obligations on public debt — France spends about €60 billion annually on its maintenance, which is about the same as the cost of maintaining the entire country's education system. In addition, pensions cost the budget hundreds of billions of euros more.

"Young people did not vote for this debt, but they are the ones who will have to repay it," MEP Mariani told Izvestia.

According to Nikolai Topornin, in France, the main result of the protests may be an anti-crisis plan to improve the situation in education. The expert sees no reason to expect early parliamentary elections precisely because of the current speeches: the presidential elections in France should be held in 2027.

In Spain, social discontent has already turned into a political issue. In the November 29 parliamentary elections, the authorities will try to convince voters that they can solve the problem of affordable housing, but it is unclear whether this will help the current ruling coalition stay in power. So far, the government has approved 21 measures to combat the housing crisis: protection of vulnerable tenants from eviction, restrictions on speculative housing purchases by investment funds, and regulation of seasonal rentals. The authorities also plan to create a fund for €10 billion for loans of up to €50,000 for the purchase of first homes. The package has yet to be approved by Parliament.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever has nothing to offer. But he uses the very "pain" of youth. The country's leader insists that painful budgetary measures are needed now to prevent an impending spiral of debt and interest payments, which otherwise will force future generations to pay.

For the European authorities, the main risk is that social discontent is beginning to turn into a political challenge. It is not necessary for young people to unite into a single movement in order to influence the political situation. If governments limit themselves to point—to-point concessions, the protests may not end, but simply take on a new form - and cost the authorities much more than meeting the initial demands.