{"id":7340,"date":"2026-10-07T18:13:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T18:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=7340"},"modified":"2026-10-07T18:13:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T18:13:37","slug":"over-100-arrested-in-belgium-student-protests-over-education-costs-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=7340","title":{"rendered":"Over 100 arrested in Belgium student protests over education costs | News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Protesting students demand accessible education in French-speaking areas of the country.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 7 Oct 2026<\/span>7 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Police in Belgium have detained more than 100 people after demonstrations in the city of Liege against the rising cost of education turned violent in some places, as similar protests grip neighbouring France.<\/p>\n

Students rallied in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday against overcrowded classrooms and difficulty accessing resources in Belgium\u2019s French-language education system.<\/p>\n

Eighty people were detained during the protests, and 27 were formally arrested, the Belga news agency reported, citing the Liege police.<\/p>\n

Some protesters damaged property and set fires, the police added.<\/p>\n

Attendees insisted that shortcomings in the education system gave them no choice but to take to the streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we saw nothing was changing without protests, we decided we would start,\u201d said Amelia Di Salve, a 19-year-old studying to become a teacher, who added that protests in \u201cFrance did influence us a little\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support each other because we\u2019re facing pretty much the same issues,\u201d Alfred, another 19-year-old \u2060student, told the Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n

\u2018Peaceful way\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Authorities were attempting to defuse tensions and head off further unrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cDialogue can be established,\u201d Willy Demeyer, the mayor of the city of Liege, told Belgian broadcaster RTBF, adding that he hoped \u201cyoung people can express their grievances in a peaceful way and if possible have those concerns heard\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators
Demonstrators smash a shop window during a protest by high school students against education reforms and increased student fees in Liege, Belgium, on October 7, 2026 [Stephanie Lecocq\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Belgium, education is managed independently by the country\u2019s linguistic communities, and there is no single national curriculum.<\/p>\n

Instead, the Flemish population regulates education in Belgium\u2019s Dutch-speaking Flanders region while French-speaking Wallonia oversees its own curriculum.<\/p>\n

Parents can decide where to enrol children in the bilingual capital Brussels.<\/p>\n

The protests in Liege follow sporadic violent demonstrations over the summer in Brussels against an increase in tuition fees for students in French-speaking areas from 835 euros ($930) to 1,194 euros ($1,340).<\/p>\n

Belgium\u2019s education budget has been under pressure as a result of a cost-of-living crisis and the spiralling cost of energy, issues that are helping fuel student protests in France as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Protesting students demand accessible education in French-speaking areas of the country. Published On 7 Oct 20267 Oct 2026 Police in Belgium have detained more than 100 people after demonstrations in the city of Liege against the rising cost of education turned violent in some places, as similar protests grip neighbouring France. Students rallied in the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t