Habits die hard. Giving a taste of what firefighters can deliver, Belgian firemen protesting in Brussels against government austerity measures sprayed foam on policemen outside the prime minister's office, which was blocked by riot police and barbed wire fences.

Several hundred firemen gathered in Brussels with fire trucks, blocked traffic on the city's ring road. In protest they burned tires in the streets and sprayed water and foam towards police guarding against the protest.

At one point police officers stood knee-deep in foam on the street.

The firemen were protesting against cuts in their insurance benefits and insufficient staffing policies.

The deputy prime minister, Didier Reynders, was quoted as saying that caving in to the firefighters' demands would "send the wrong signal" to everyone.

During similar protests in 2010 and 2011, firefighters have used the same tactics of soaking the police in foam.

Protest by Belgian Fire-Fighters

Source: RT/YouTube