Over 100 arrested in Belgium student protests over education costs

What the report says

Police in Belgium detained more than 100 people after student protests in the city of Liege turned violent, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP and Reuters. The demonstrations on Tuesday and Wednesday focused on the rising cost of education, overcrowded classrooms and limited access to resources in Belgium’s French-language education system. Belga, citing Liege police, said 80 people were detained and 27 were formally arrested.

The article said some protesters damaged property and set fires during the unrest. Students interviewed by Reuters said they felt they had little option but to demonstrate after seeing few changes in the system. The protests were also described as part of a wider wave of student anger, with Al Jazeera noting similar unrest in neighbouring France and earlier demonstrations in Brussels over higher tuition fees for students in French-speaking areas.

Local officials urged calm and dialogue. Liege mayor Willy Demeyer said he hoped young people could express their concerns peacefully. The report also noted a broader structural backdrop: education in Belgium is run separately by linguistic communities, with French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders each overseeing their own systems. That arrangement, along with budget pressure from the cost-of-living crisis and energy prices, has added context to the protests.