From France to Belgium: Students Take to Streets Over Education Costs and School Conditions

Hundreds of students have taken to the streets in the Belgian city of Liège, protesting rising education costs, overcrowded classrooms and difficulties accessing learning materials, with the demonstrations drawing inspiration from a much larger student movement unfolding across neighbouring France.

The Belgian protests have become increasingly tense, with local authorities reporting more than 100 arrests in recent days. Belgian media reported that 107 people had been detained, with alleged offences including property damage and arson. Authorities urged residents to avoid parts of central Liège and warned businesses about the disruption.

The demonstrations are centred largely on the French-speaking education system and follow months of opposition to reforms introduced by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Students have objected to higher tuition costs, crowded classrooms and what they describe as growing difficulties in obtaining the resources needed for their studies.

One of the most contentious measures is an increase in higher-education enrolment fees. For many students in the French-speaking community, the maximum fee has risen from €835 to €1,194, although the exact amount depends on the student's circumstances and category. The Federation of French-speaking Students, known as FEF, had campaigned against the increase, arguing that higher fees threaten access to education.

The financial pressure extends beyond tuition. FEF estimates that the overall cost of a year of study in the 2026–27 academic year can range from €8,100 to €13,600, depending on the student and programme. The organization says the combination of enrolment fees and living and study expenses is putting increasing pressure on students, particularly those who need to work while studying.

The latest street protests did not emerge in isolation. Students had already demonstrated in Brussels in June against the education reforms, with clashes between protesters and police leading to arrests. Another demonstration in September drew hundreds of French-speaking university students who opposed the higher fees and tighter rules governing academic progression.

What has changed in recent days is the influence of events in France. Since September, French high-school students have mounted increasingly large demonstrations over teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings, overcrowded classrooms and inadequate educational resources. The movement expanded nationally on October 6, when France's Interior Ministry estimated that 266,000 people took part in demonstrations, while organizers put the figure at about 450,000.

Belgian students have acknowledged the connection. Some protesters in Liège said they felt solidarity with students across the border who were confronting similar frustrations, although the Belgian movement has its own grievances and is not simply a copy of the French protests.

The contrast between the two countries is nevertheless striking. In France, the central complaint has been inadequate public investment in schools, including shortages of teachers and poor infrastructure. In French-speaking Belgium, students are also confronting a direct increase in the cost of higher education alongside broader reforms and cuts designed to address the Wallonia-Brussels Federation's financial pressures.

Those financial constraints are significant. The French-speaking community's austerity programme is intended to save roughly €500 million by 2029 from a budget of around €15 billion. Among the measures approved are changes affecting teachers and higher education, including the possibility of higher enrolment fees for a large proportion of students.

The unrest has also raised concerns about violence. Authorities say some incidents in Liège involved vandalism and arson, while student protesters have focused on the affordability and accessibility of education. Those issues should not be conflated: the existence of arrests or property damage does not establish that the wider student movement is violent.

In Liège, the authorities have responded with heightened security measures as the protests continued. The city's mayor, Willy Demeyer, said he hoped the situation could be resolved peacefully through dialogue, while police have taken measures to prevent further disorder.

The Belgian developments come as France's own movement continues to put pressure on its government. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised proposals to address student concerns by the end of October, but specific measures have yet to satisfy protesters. Meanwhile, France has suspended the use of stun grenades by police following public outrage over injuries during the unrest, including the loss of a 15-year-old protester's hand.

For Belgium, the immediate issue is whether the protests remain concentrated in Liège or develop into a wider movement across French-speaking communities. For students, however, the message is already broader than one tuition bill: education is increasingly being presented as a question of affordability, opportunity and social equality.

The developments in Belgium and France point to a wider European tension over who should bear the cost of maintaining public education at a time when governments face tight budgets and competing demands. What began as separate national disputes is now beginning to look like a shared generational frustration, with young people questioning whether higher education and decent learning conditions are becoming privileges rather than rights.