According to the Belgian daily Nieuwsblad, on Dec. 16, some 16,500 demonstrators, by police estimates, came to Brussels in spite of the cold weather, to protest government inaction against sky-high energy prices and hyperinflation. The protest was organized by the three main trade unions, the General Labor Federation, the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions, and the General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions, with the effect felt by the railways and subways in the vicinity of Brussels, as well as the international airport.