Belgian student protests over education cuts lead to 41 arrests and 15 injuries

Clashes and arrests in Liège and Charleroi

Students gathered before 07:00 on Monday outside several secondary schools in Liège, including the Athénée de Chênée, Liège-Atlas, and the Athénée Léonie de Waha. Demonstrators erected barricades at institutions such as DIC Collège and Institut Marie-Thérèse before moving toward the city centre. By 09:00, crowds blocked Rue Hors-Château, later disrupting tram lines and gathering at Place de l'Opéra and Place de la République française. Police deployed water cannons and tear gas against crowds, while four police vehicles suffered broken windows and a public transit kiosk was set on fire. The Liège police made 16 administrative arrests throughout the day, while firefighters responded to burning trash and electric scooters in Chênée and Herstal. In Charleroi, around 50 hooded youths ignited fireworks and waste bins on a university campus at 08:20. Charleroi police later reported 21 administrative arrests and four judicial arrests of minors, noting that one officer was assaulted while taking a suspect into custody.

Firework detonation at a Hannut primary school

In the town of Hannut, a separate march of roughly 250 students moved past local schools, including Collège Sainte-Croix et Notre-Dame and the Athénée Royal. During the demonstration outside the Athénée, a firework was launched from the street over a building and exploded in the courtyard of the adjacent primary school section. The blast injured 15 elementary school pupils, who suffered burns from flying sparks or sprained ankles while fleeing in panic. Paramedics treated the children on site, ambulances evacuated patients, and the Hesbaye Ouest police zone dispatched a psychological support unit to assist the school. Police detained one individual in connection with the launch. Hannut Mayor Manu Douette addressed the incident after reviewing security footage:

Given certain video footage, one can think that this is an intentional, completely reckless act. I remind everyone that using this type of device on public roads is prohibited and I expect the perpetrators to be identified and punished.

Opposition to education and cost-of-living reforms

The demonstrations followed earlier school blockades that began on Friday, 2 October, across the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Students mobilized against government reform decrees that increase higher education tuition from 835 euros to 1,194 euros for 58% of enrolled students. Protesters also contested the termination of the 12-euro annual youth transit pass on the TEC public bus network, which will be replaced by standard passes costing 180 euros or express passes costing 384 euros. In addition, student groups expressed solidarity with teachers resisting a 10% increase in teaching hours in upper secondary education without higher pay, alongside cuts to free school meals, reduced supply allocations, and tighter sick leave rules.

Reactions across Belgian campuses

Student actions reached other Belgian municipalities, including bin fires in Mons and a joint student-teacher picket organized by the Mars Attacks collective at Athénée Charles Janssens in Ixelles. In Liège, Athénée Léonie de Waha headmaster Rudi Creeten noted that staff monitored student safety during initial disruptions.

We are ensuring safety.

The Comité des élèves francophones released a statement expressing support for student activism while addressing the broader unrest:

Although the degradation of public space is not the desired outcome, it is part of a history of activist modes of action that emerge when democratic listening is lacking.

Liège judicial authorities stated that they would not provide case-by-case details regarding detained minors as investigations proceed.