Escalation in Liège and urban damage

Protests by secondary and university students in Liège escalated into violent clashes on Wednesday, leading to store lootings, arson, and widespread transport disruptions. Around 1,000 young people gathered in the city centre shortly after midday, initially marching peacefully before small groups vandalised shops, including a toy store and a Fnac branch, and pelted the provincial government building with stones. Authorities evacuated the Liège-Guillemins railway station around 18:00 and issued emergency BE-Alert notifications instructing local shopkeepers to close their businesses.

Police deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds after protesters torched rubbish bins, street benches, and a bus shelter, while attempting to set cars on fire. Around 40 police officers sustained injuries during several days of disturbances across the city. By Wednesday evening, law enforcement had registered more than 100 administrative and judicial arrests in Liège alone, including 53 detentions on Tuesday and 32 on Wednesday.

Grievances over tuition fees and school resources

The demonstrations focus on educational policy within Belgium's French-speaking Community, where education is administered separately from the Dutch-speaking Flemish system. Students are protesting rising education expenses, overcrowded classrooms, dense schedules, and difficulties accessing essential learning materials. Protesters have also expressed frustration over the cost of public transport passes and what they describe as a lack of government attention to their concerns.

A core driver of the unrest is an increase in annual university tuition fees for most students in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, which rose from €835 to €1,194. Tensions surrounding the reforms originally prompted street confrontations in Brussels in June. Belgian student organisers have maintained contact with student movements across the border in France, where approximately 250,000 people demonstrated on Tuesday.

Political debate and ministerial response

The street violence prompted fierce exchanges in parliament on Wednesday between government ministers and opposition parties. Opposition lawmakers from the Socialist Party, the Workers' Party of Belgium, and Ecolo accused the ruling coalition of ignoring student anxieties and directing public funds toward defence rather than education and public transport. In response, education officials defended their budgetary choices while condemning property destruction.

Education Minister Valérie Glatigny rejected claims that the government intends to reduce classroom supervision or disinvest from school infrastructure, urging students to avoid unlawful behaviour.

I understand their need to express themselves, but not to break and burn. This violence eclipses the message of the young people.

Spread to other cities and efforts at dialogue

Student mobilisations also expanded to other cities across Wallonia and the capital. In Brussels, strikes took place across 11 schools on Wednesday, followed by a peaceful march from Central Station accompanied by teachers. Additional rallies occurred in Mons, Arlon, and Charleroi, where three individuals, including a minor, were detained on Monday for alleged violence against a police officer. Across the French-speaking regions, overall detentions reached 180.

Municipal authorities and government ministers moved to open formal discussions with student bodies to prevent further escalations. Liège Mayor Willy Demeyer and Police Chief Jean-Marc Demelenne met with school principals and student representatives on Wednesday morning. Later that afternoon, the French-speaking Pupils Committee met with Glatigny at her ministerial cabinet, while Youth Minister Valérie Lescrenier scheduled a visit to Liège for Thursday to engage directly with student leaders.