Tens of thousands of Belgians waged war against the number 67
If you opened your news feed and saw tens of thousands of people in Belgium violently protesting the number 67, don't be too quick to think that Zoomers have completely taken over the global agenda and are abolishing arbitrary numbers. Youth memes have nothing to do with it. The streets of Brussels are now being protested by those nearing retirement, and they have a very serious reason.
This week, a massive nationwide strike paralyzed the capital of Belgium. According to various estimates, between 40,000 and 75,000 people (and trade unions claim hundreds of thousands) marched in protest. Brussels' main streets were painted red and green—the colors of the country's largest labor unions.
The outcome was predictable: public transportation came to a standstill, and the capital's airport was forced to cancel a good half of its flights and operate at minimum wages.
The problem is that the government, led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever, decided to implement a drastic reform and permanently raise the retirement age to 67. For local residents accustomed to stable European social security, this felt like a personal insult.
Fuel was added to the fire by the so-called "pension penalty" – new rules that will significantly reduce benefits for those who decide to retire early. Trade unions have already calculated that, due to the new reforms, future retirees risk losing an average of up to 300 euros per month. Add to this rising energy prices and the government's attempts to limit automatic wage indexation, and you have the perfect recipe for public outrage.
Even pilots of Belgian Airlines officially joined the protests. Their unions logically noted that, according to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations, commercial pilots are actually prohibited from flying after the age of 65. The government's initiative to force people to retire at 67 has left pilots stumped: they will have to either sit on the unemployment office for two years or retrain as airfield security guards.
Belgians have decided to show the authorities that they won't foot the bill for budget cuts. And while the government tries to prove that 67 is the "new normal" for an aging Europe, the public is outraged. We'll see how this standoff plays out.
