• Layoffs spark violent protests in Belgium

    Laurent Dubrule / Reuters

    Arcelor Mittal workers from several Liege steel plants clash with riot policemen during a demonstration outside the Walloon Region parliament in Namur on Jan. 29. Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel producer, plans to shut a coke plant and six finishing lines at its site in Liege, Belgium, affecting 1,300 employees, the group said last week.

    Yves Herman / Reuters

    Arcelor Mittal workers from several Liege steel plants clash with riot policemen during a demonstration outside the Walloon Region parliament in Namur on Jan. 29.

    Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP

    A steel worker from ArcelorMittal in Liege, Belgium, comforts a colleague during a protest near the Walloon Minister President's office in Namur, Belgium, on Jan. 29. The world's leading steel and mining company ArcelorMittal announced Thursday it will close a coke plant and six production lines in Belgium, in a move that threatens 1,300 jobs.

    Laurent Dubrule / Reuters

    Arcelor Mittal workers from several Liege steel plants clash with riot policemen during a demonstration outside the Walloon Region parliament in Namur on Jan. 29.

    Laurent Dubrule / Reuters

    Arcelor Mittal workers from several Liege argue with riot policemen during a demonstration outside the Walloon Region parliament in Namur on Jan. 29.

    Related: Belgian steel workers clash with police over job losses

    Steelworkers from ArcelorMittal protested in Belgium following the announcement of the closure of a plant. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.