Belgium: Tear gas and water cannons at student protests in Brussels and Liège
Hundreds of mostly young people protested against tuition fees and education reforms. Interior Minister Quintin said it was "no longer just a protest."
Symbolic image · Photo: M0tty / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
The wave of protests from France reached Belgium on Saturday. Several hundred mostly young people gathered in central Brussels, according to Reuters, and there were also demonstrations in Liège. Students have been protesting for weeks against tuition fees and rising education costs, as well as reforms they fear will make access to higher education more difficult. In Liège, students had already demonstrated earlier in the month against costs in the French-speaking education system.
There were clashes in Brussels: many demonstrators were masked, and police used tear gas and water cannons. A Reuters eyewitness reported that some protesters overturned a car. Police accused participants of hurling projectiles and setting fires. Water cannons were also used in Liège, where police gave no figures on participants. There was initially no information on arrests.
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin wrote on X that what was happening in Brussels was "no longer just a protest." All necessary means would be used to restore order, he said. According to Reuters, the protests are partly inspired by the unrest in neighboring France, which began a month ago over school conditions and widened to the cost of living and public spending.