Belgian police arrested 195 people during demonstrations against education policies and budget cuts in Brussels and Liege on Saturday, with clashes, fires and vandalism reported in both cities, according to police statements released on Sunday.
Authorities reported 150 arrests in Brussels and 45 in Liège, as officers deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters and restore order.
Barricades and clashes in Brussels
Brussels police recorded 118 administrative detentions and 32 judicial arrests, including 15 minors among those arrested under judicial procedures.
The judicial arrests were linked to alleged offences including throwing objects at police officers, resisting arrest and deliberate arson, police said.
Investigators continued identifying suspects, and the figures could change.
Five officers sustained minor injuries, while unrest caused significant damage in central Brussels. Protesters used electric scooters and construction materials to build barricades, police said.
Officers repeatedly resorted to tear gas and water cannons during the demonstrations.
Fires and arrests in Liege
In Liege, police reported 40 administrative detentions and five judicial arrests, including 12 minors among those detained, according to the Belga news agency.
Vandalism and fires were reported in public areas on Saturday evening. Around 50 protesters gathered at Place Saint-Lambert and fired pyrotechnic mortars at the Prince-Bishops’ Palace, prompting police to use a water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
People gathered nearby chanted demands for the release of their friends. Police said calm appeared to have returned by the evening.
The demonstration had begun peacefully, with between 200 and 250 people gathering outside Guillemins railway station at around 10 am before marching to Place Saint-Lambert, where a sit-in blocked bus traffic.
Protesters later blocked roads near Le Cadran, including access to the motorway towards Burenville, with some moving barriers to construct barricades, Belga reported.
Student protests spread from France
Student demonstrations that began in France over education conditions spread to French-speaking Belgium on 1 October.
Previous protests have led to numerous detentions, with some suspects subsequently remanded in custody.
Saturday’s arrests underline the tensions surrounding demonstrations against education policies and budget reductions, although police said investigations into the latest incidents were continuing.
