France's school protests spread to Belgium as Liège police use water cannon

A wave of school blockades that began in France has reached Belgium, where police in Liège turned a water cannon on young protesters and made 16 administrative arrests.

A wave of student protests that began at French high schools has spread across the border to Belgium, where police in the city of Liège turned a water cannon on young demonstrators on Monday, Oct. 5.

According to the Belgian dailies DH and L'Avenir, the situation deteriorated around Hors-Château street and Place Saint-Barthélemy after firecrackers and eggs were thrown, prompting police to make arrests and deploy a water cannon. Liège police confirmed 16 administrative arrests linked to the student actions, and DH reported that several of those detained were said to be of French origin.

A Belgian police water cannon truck in Liège (video still)

From Liège to Charleroi and Tournai

Belgian public broadcaster RTBF said the movement seen in France "appears to be spreading to Belgium" when hundreds of pupils gathered spontaneously outside several schools in the Liège region on Oct. 1. Fires were set, projectiles were thrown and police made six arrests. The students are calling for smaller classes, enough teachers, a real hearing for pupils and parents, and schools that are accessible to all.

Place Saint-Lambert in Liège (archive)

The protests reached Charleroi and Tournai on Oct. 2. Police in Charleroi detained 49 people, 42 of them minors, while 18 people were arrested in Herstal and 11 in Tournai, Anadolu reported, citing local police and broadcasters. Students also cited education reforms and higher public transportation costs.

In France, high school students have been blocking access to their schools for days over a shortage of teachers, overcrowded classes and run-down buildings. After the protests turned violent in several cities, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened an interministerial crisis unit on Oct. 1, while Education Minister Édouard Geffray proposed a consultation platform, saying violence "will not deprive our students of their fundamental right to education."

France's school protests spread to Belgium as Liège police use water cannon

A wave of school blockades that began in France has reached Belgium, where police in Liège turned a water cannon on young protesters and made 16 administrative arrests.