70,000 - 80,000 protest in Belgium as strikes cause air travel chaos

Between 70,000 and 80,000 people are protesting in Brussels city centre on Monday as part of a public strike, Belgian news agency Belga reported, citing police and union estimates. The countrywide protests have led to massive travel disruption in Belgium with Brussels airport forced to cancel all departure flights due to a lack of security staff. Some of Belgium's major unions called for the strikes over their demand for legislative reforms to fight declining purchasing power following the Covid-19 pandemic and record inflation, Belga reports. Brussels Airlines had already announced last week it would cancel flights on Monday as ground personnel employed by the security company G4S are taking part in the walkouts, the news agency said. According to the news agency, the unions expected up to 70,000 people to join a protest march in the centre of Brussels but have now revised this figure up to 80,000. Belgian railway operator SNCB, which is not participating in the strike, has provided additional trains to allow protestors to get to the capital, according to Belga. Other transport providers however are impacted by the strike with just one metro line currently operating in Brussels and public transport in some other Belgian provinces offering reduced services, Belga reports.