Student Protests In France Have Spread To Belgium
- 7.10.2026, 22:17
Hundreds of students took to the streets in Liège.
In Liège, Belgium, hundreds of students took to the streets to protest against educational reforms and rising tuition costs. In recent days, police have detained 107 people. This was reported on October 7 by Reuters.
Authorities urged shop owners in the city to close early due to the risk of unrest. The official government alert system, BE-Alert, reported “large-scale unrest.”
Liège’s main train station was temporarily closed due to the demonstrations. Police also asked people to avoid the city center due to severe traffic disruptions. The arrests were related, in particular, to property damage and arson. Videos of smashed storefronts, fires, and hundreds of young protesters were circulating on social media.
Students are protesting the situation in Belgium’s French-speaking education system. Among the reasons for the protests, they cite rising tuition costs, overcrowded classrooms, and problems accessing educational materials.
The protesters’ signs read, among other things: “This is chaos—we’re fighting for our rights! Not for a privilege!” and “I chose education, not the Hunger Games!”
Reuters notes that the current protests follow June clashes between demonstrators and police in Brussels over education reforms. These reforms include, in particular, an increase in tuition fees for most students in Belgium’s French-speaking community from €835 to €1,194.
The current wave of protests in Belgium is also partly influenced by student protests in neighboring France. Some Belgian students told Reuters that they are in contact with the French protesters.
“We support each other because we’re facing practically the same problems,” said Alfred, a 19-year-old student.
Amelia Di Salve, a 19-year-old student training to be a teacher, said that the student movement in Belgium began earlier this year but gained new momentum after the demonstrations in France.
“When we saw that nothing would change without protests, we decided to start [protesting]; France really did influence us a bit,” she said.
The mayor of Liège Willy De Meyer told RTBF that he hopes calm will be restored and “that we will be able to establish a dialogue, and that young people will be able to peacefully express their grievances and, if possible, ensure that their concerns are heard.”
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