BRUSSELS, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Belgian police used tear gas and pepper spray as they clashed in Brussels on Saturday with anti-government demonstrators calling for better conditions in the education system, Reuters witnesses and Belgian media reported.
The clashes came after hundreds of mainly young protesters gathered in a continuation of rallies that have taken place in recent months, calling for more funding for education and accusing police of excessive violence.
The clashes were much smaller and less violent than those that took place last week in Belgium and — on a far larger scale — in neighbouring France.
In one incident in Brussels on Saturday, protesters ran and fell to the ground as police pursued them, with officers hitting and kicking one demonstrator, Reuters witnesses saw.
Protesters threw road signs and other items onto a pile of rental scooters and bicycles and attempted to set it on fire.
In another incident, police used tear gas to disperse a group of protesters, multiple Belgian media outlets reported.
Brussels police said in a statement at the end of the afternoon that no major incidents had taken place. They said they had taken measures “to guarantee the maintenance of public order and the security of everyone”.
Police officers temporarily detained five people for disturbing public order and detained four more for possessing prohibited weapons and for inciting rioting, the statement said.
(Reporting by Yiming Woo and Farah Salhi; Writing by Andrew Gray; Editing by Alison Williams)
