Student Riots Reach Belgium as Hooded Protesters Clash With Police

Student unrest that has swept across France has crossed the border into Belgium, where clashes between police and masked protesters have intensified.

Thousands from Belgium’s French-speaking community took to the streets to oppose deep reductions in education spending. The government is seeking to save at least €10 billion in the coming years as it works to bring down the country’s substantial budget deficit.

Belgian students in several towns have joined demonstrations in recent days, drawing inspiration in part from the unrest unfolding across the border in France.

Police estimated that up to 30,000 people descended on Brussels, describing the turnout as unprecedented. Demonstrators began arriving at around 9.30am local time.

Some protesters hurled cobblestones, bricks, glass bottles, fencing and road signs at officers. In one incident, a police officer was filmed taking a samurai sword from a demonstrator.

Groups of protesters gathered around Brussels Central Station, located between the European Parliament and Belgium’s federal legislature.

Videos from the scene showed disorder near the major transport hub. In one recording, masked and hooded figures appeared to throw objects into a fire while police watched from nearby.

The crowd could be heard cheering as more items were tossed into the flames.

In another video, a group of young demonstrators pushed a large rubbish container toward a police line before overturning it.

Protesters also threw pieces of timber and a flare at riot officers equipped with shields and batons.

Officers were seen moving back as demonstrators launched smoke grenades and flashbang devices in their direction.

A separate clip showed a masked protester aiming fireworks at police. Officers responded with a water cannon, forcing the individual to retreat.

Trade union members joined the student demonstrations, calling on the government to raise taxes on the highest earners instead of cutting services such as healthcare and increasing VAT.

“Things are getting worse at an ever-faster rate, and people have had enough. Like teachers, pupils can also see that conditions are deteriorating,” union representative Luc Toussaint said.

Belgium has faced several waves of strikes in recent months over Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s plan to save €10 billion over the next few years and tackle the nation’s growing deficit.

Like neighbouring France and Italy, Belgium is struggling under a heavy public debt burden.

The Flemish conservative is currently locked in protracted talks with his coalition partners to try to find a deal on the cuts by October 13.

The ABVV union has threatened to launch another general strike in November if it does not get its way. 

Many people spoke about their frustrations with the cost of living. One protester told local media: ‘Everything just keeps getting more expensive. I don’t even dare look at the pump anymore when I go to fill up. I have two small children; there has to be food on the table.’

He called for the richest of society to pay their fair share: ‘Get the money where it is. I am in favour of a billionaire tax. It is always sought from the people who already have almost nothing left.’

Another protester echoed this sentiment: ‘[The government] does not have its priorities in order. It protects the rich and creates poverty. Choices are made for the richest, while people and children in poverty are left out in the cold.’ 

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‘I work, but I cannot make ends meet,’ said Marie Gobert, a single mother and social worker who came from the city of Namur with one of her daughters for the march.

She told The Associated Press that school costs have just gone up along with the price of public transport and train tickets. 

‘I don’t think I’ve ever been this anxious about all the measures making my daily life difficult,’ she said.

Traffic and public transport across the city were disrupted on Friday.

‘You can feel the social tension, you can feel anger starting to simmer everywhere,’ Miss Gobert said. ‘The education system is being dismantled and when young people want to speak out no one listens to them.’

Many parts of the country were shut down or disrupted today. Brussels Airport was forced to cancel around 140 flights to and from the travel hub, as workers from the Alyzia baggage handling firm began striking. 

Over in France, where riots engulfed cities and towns for days on end, students were largely back in the classroom today, with the UN voicing ‘concern’ over the sometimes violent clashes. 

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets across France since students in late September began blocking entrances to high schools, which in turn saw squads of riot police deployed.

The students – most aged 15 to 18 – have complained of absent teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.

More than 6,800 people have been detained since the start of the demonstrations, of whom 86 per cent are minors, the justice ministry said Friday.

The United Nations said Friday it was watching the events ‘with concern’ and urging people on all sides to remain peaceful.

‘We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent,’ said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency.

While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, some protesters have started fires and vandalised bus shelters.

In response, police have used tear gas, batons and blast balls, leading to accusations from rights groups and the children of a disproportionate use of force.

Police have opened 18 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct.

A 15-year-old lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade, and the government has suspended the use of the weapon. 

On Thursday evening in the capital Paris, police said they used tear gas in Bastille square to disperse some ‘high-risk profiles’.

In a bid to placate the anger, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced late Thursday that some 3,000 substitute teachers would be deployed in the coming days to replace absent staff at the 114 worst-affected high schools.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has also promised a plan to respond to the crisis by the end of October, while Economy Minister Roland Lescure said there was room to address demands for more school resources within the highly constrained 2027 budget. 

In the current draft budget, education has the second largest increase in funding – after defence – with a boost of 1.4 per cent to 90.9 billion euros.

Of the 3,700 high schools across France, called lycees, only 141 were closed on Friday, the education ministry reported.

Last Friday, some 800 schools had closed due to the protests.