Police used water cannons and tear gas on Saturday as protesters clashed with officers in Brussels amid continuing demonstrations over education reforms, austerity measures and rising living costs.
Between 500 and 600 protesters gathered near Brussels Central Station before marching toward Brussels-South station. Tensions escalated shortly before 1 p.m. when some demonstrators used construction barriers to advance toward police and threw projectiles at officers. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons and pushed the crowd back toward the station.
The latest confrontation follows a broader wave of student and youth protests across Belgium. Students have been demonstrating against education budget cuts, higher university fees, overcrowded classrooms and reforms they fear could make higher education less accessible.
The unrest has spread from Liège to Brussels after several days of demonstrations in French-speaking Belgium. More than 100 people were arrested during protests in Liège earlier this month, while subsequent clashes in Brussels also led to arrests.
The education dispute is linked to reforms approved by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, including plans for a €500 million reduction in education spending by 2029, higher university tuition fees and an increase in teachers’ weekly classroom hours from 20 to 22. Student groups say the measures threaten education quality and place additional financial pressure on young people.
The demonstrations have also become intertwined with opposition to the Belgian federal government’s wider austerity programme. On October 9, around 30,000 people, according to police estimates, joined a nationwide protest in Brussels, while unions put the turnout at about 50,000. Hundreds of students joined the action, linking education concerns with broader opposition to government spending cuts.
Police said the main trade union march on October 9 remained largely peaceful, but smaller groups of masked protesters clashed with officers, threw stones and other objects, set fires and damaged public property. Police used tear gas and water cannons and reported 21 detentions or arrests, including 13 minors.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has defended the government’s budget measures as necessary to address the country’s deficit and prevent rising debt and interest costs from placing a heavier burden on future generations. Student protesters, however, argue that young people are already facing growing financial pressure and that cuts to education will deepen inequality.
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The Brussels clashes come as student-led protests over education and living costs continue to resonate across Europe, with demonstrations in Belgium partly inspired by unrest among students in neighbouring France.
