Belgian PM Charles Michel pelted with fries and mayo by anti-austerity activists

Belgian PM Charles Michel has been attacked with french fries and squirted with mayonnaise by anti-austerity activists.

“Michel out, austerity out,” cried the four activists as the 38-year-old was beginning a speech on December 22 in the southern city of Namur, according to several reporters.

French fries with mayonnaise are a Belgian specialty.

The protesters were swiftly tackled by security guards as Charles Michel looked on, smiling in a mayonnaise-stained suit.

After the incident, the prime minister restarted his speech apologizing for smelling of mayonnaise.

Charles Michel, 39, who took office in October, leads a coalition that intends to raise the retirement age in Belgium to 67, scrap plans for a usually automatic cost-of-living raise next year and cut public-sector spending.

The plans sparked several rounds of strikes and demonstrations in the past weeks, including a march of more than 100,000 people in Brussels, which ended in violent protests that left dozens of police officers injured.

Food-related protests are a Belgian specialty.

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