Student Protests Turn Violent in Liège: Broken Windows, Fires and Dozens Arrested
Demonstrations in Liège over education reforms spilled into riots, with police deploying water cannon and authorities reporting arrests.
Hundreds of students took to the streets of Liège in early October 2026, staging demonstrations that escalated into clashes with police, broken shop windows, fires and blocked streets. Local reports say the unrest was inspired by protests and education-sector turmoil in neighboring France.
Belgian media reported that 107 people were arrested in connection with the disturbances, but local authorities have not officially confirmed that figure. The Belgian news agency Belga said the detentions were linked to criminal offences including destruction of property and arson.
How the clashes unfolded
Police used water cannon against groups of demonstrators, and at least one account said 16 people were detained after students blocked schools and attempted to damage the Saint-Michel Institute. Fire crews also reported blazes in the nearby Herstal area.
Protesters in Liège said they were demonstrating against problems in the education system in Belgium’s French-speaking region, naming rising education costs, overcrowded classrooms and restricted access to materials as core grievances. Among the contentious measures cited was an increase in tuition for most students in the francophone area from 835 to 1,194 euros.
Videos shared on social media show smashed windows and shopfronts, fires and streets blocked by groups of people. Demonstrators carried banners reading "The situation is chaotic, we fight for justice" and "I chose education, not Hunger Games," according to footage and local descriptions. One social media alert translated from French warned: "The situation is becoming uncontrollable in Liège (Belgium). Rioters are looting and setting fire in the city centre."
Authorities said investigations were ongoing and that some arrests will be processed for suspected criminal offences. The Liège disturbances follow earlier confrontations between demonstrators and police in Brussels in June over the same package of education reforms and tuition hikes.
Photo: Jan Honvehlmann / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
