Police and hundreds of so-called "yellow jackets" protesting high taxes and living costs clashed in Brussels on Friday and dozens were arrested, as the movement that started in France two weeks ago gained traction in Belgium.
Police fired tear gas and water cannons on protesters who tried to approach government buildings and offices in downtown Brussels and threw rocks and paving stones at the barricades.
"Our officers started to use water cannons after they began throwing objects. They were throwing pool balls," Brussels city police spokeswoman Ilse Van De Keere said.
A police cordon charged protesters after they attacked two police vehicles, overturning one and setting both alight.
Van De Keere estimated that more than 300 people were involved. Around 60 people were arrested for disturbing public order. Many were carrying objects that police considered to be dangerous, including razor blades, tire levers and pepper spray, she said.
Some were detained for having gas, ski and diving masks, which police saw as a sign that the protesters were expecting tear gas to be used.
Earlier, dozens of protesters wearing the high visibility vests that have become a uniform for the movement blocked city streets, sometimes with pieces of scaffolding, causing traffic chaos along major roads. Some handed out vests to bystanders and people stuck in cars.
As they marched, some chanted "we are the people" and held up placards marked: "Union is Strength" and "Shame on the Police."
Prime Minister Charles Michel has said he is willing to talk with some of their leaders, but it was not immediately clear whether any meeting had taken place or was likely to.
Protest roadblocks were also in place near the city of Charleroi, some 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Brussels.
It's unclear exactly who the protesters are. Small rallies and roadblocks have been going on in the French-speaking south of Belgium for about two weeks. Some appeared linked to high fuel prices, seen as the cause of the protest movement in France.
But the Belgian protesters appear to be operating in very separate groups. Some sought police permission for Friday's rally but called it off because, they said, police were insisting on too many restrictions. Other groups, mostly via social media, insisted that it would go ahead.
Belgian media say many are indeed out in the streets over high taxes and food prices, low wages and pensions, but some question whether the movement is being exploited by far-left and far-right groups.
