The Associated Press
BRUSSELS, Belgium — Belgian firefighters clashed with police during a chaotic demonstration close to the nation’s parliament on Wednesday, leaving six people injured.
Some 300 police sought to keep 2,000 firefighters from breaking through a security perimeter set up around parliament, turning the street into a chaotic scene where both sides used their protective helmets and sprayed each other with jets of water.
Three policemen sustained facial injuries when firefighters began pelting them with equipment and loose objects, the police said in a statement. Three firefighters had to be hospitalized, one after he fell off a water cannon and broke two ribs. The firefighters want better working conditions, earlier retirement and better compensation when they are injured.