Student riots spread to Belgium as hooded protesters clash with cops

DAILYMAIL.COM • 4h ago

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER 13:45 09 Oct 2026, updated 16:48 09 Oct 2026

Student riots plaguing France have spread to Belgium, where hundreds of hooded thugs are clashing with police.

The country’s French-speaking community have taken to the streets to protest swingeing cuts to Belgium’s education budget, as the government seeks to save at least €10billion over the coming years to reduce a high deficit.

Inspired in part by protests across the border in France, Belgian school students have taken to the streets in recent days in several towns.

Police said as many as 30,000 demonstrators have flooded Brussels, an ‘unprecedented’ number, after they began arriving at around 9.30am local time today.

They threw cobblestones, bricks, glass bottles, fences and traffic signs at police. One cop was seen taking a samurai sword away from a protester.

These rioters were seen congregating around Brussels Central Station, which sits in between both the European Parliament and the country’s legislature building.

Footage showed demonstrators running amok near the major railway hub. One clip showed masked and hooded figures throwing things into a fire as police stood by watching.

The gathered crowd was heard cheering and whooping as more things were thrown into the inferno.

Another clip showed a group of young people pushing a large dumpster towards a line of police, before tipping it over.

Rioters chucked pieces of wood, as well as a flare, at the gathered riot cops who were armed with shields and batons.

The cops were seen retreating as protesters threw flashbangs and smoke grenades at them.

A third clip showed a lone masked rioter pointing fireworks at police officers, who responded in kind with a water cannon that sent him scurrying away.

Student rioters were joined by trade unionists who are pushing for the government to increase taxes on highest earners, rather than impose cuts in areas like health and hike VAT.

‘Things are getting worse at an ever-faster rate, people have had enough. Like the teachers, the pupils can also see that conditions are deteriorating,’ said union representative Luc Toussaint.

Belgium has seen repeated rounds of strikes in recent months against efforts by Prime Minister Bart De Wever to save ten billion euros over the next few years in a bid to reduce the country’s high deficit.

Belgium is mired in public debt, like its neighbours France and Italy.

The Flemish conservative is currently locked in protracted talks with his coalition partners to try to find a deal on the cuts by October 13.

The ABVV union has threatened to launch another general strike in November if it does not get its way.

Many people spoke about their frustrations with the cost of living. One protester told local media: ‘Everything just keeps getting more expensive. I don’t even dare look at the pump anymore when I go to fill up. I have two small children; there has to be food on the table.’

He called for the richest of society to pay their fair share: ‘Get the money where it is. I am in favour of a billionaire tax. It is always sought from the people who already have almost nothing left.’

Another protester echoed this sentiment: ‘[The government] does not have its priorities in order. It protects the rich and creates poverty. Choices are made for the richest, while people and children in poverty are left out in the cold.’

‘I work, but I cannot make ends meet,’ said Marie Gobert, a single mother and social worker who came from the city of Namur with one of her daughters for the march.

She told The Associated Press that school costs have just gone up along with the price of public transport and train tickets.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever been this anxious about all the measures making my daily life difficult,’ she said.

Traffic and public transport across the city were disrupted on Friday.

‘You can feel the social tension, you can feel anger starting to simmer everywhere,’ Miss Gobert said. ‘The education system is being dismantled and when young people want to speak out no one listens to them.’

Many parts of the country were shut down or disrupted today. Brussels Airport was forced to cancel around 140 flights to and from the travel hub, as workers from the Alyzia baggage handling firm began striking.

Over in France, where riots engulfed cities and towns for days on end, students were largely back in the classroom today, with the UN voicing ‘concern’ over the sometimes violent clashes.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets across France since students in late September began blocking entrances to high schools, which in turn saw squads of riot police deployed.

The students – most aged 15 to 18 – have complained of absent teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.

More than 6,800 people have been detained since the start of the demonstrations, of whom 86 per cent are minors, the justice ministry said Friday.

The United Nations said Friday it was watching the events ‘with concern’ and urging people on all sides to remain peaceful.

‘We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent,’ said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency.

While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, some protesters have started fires and vandalised bus shelters.

In response, police have used tear gas, batons and blast balls, leading to accusations from rights groups and the children of a disproportionate use of force.

Police have opened 18 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct.

A 15-year-old lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade, and the government has suspended the use of the weapon.

On Thursday evening in the capital Paris, police said they used tear gas in Bastille square to disperse some ‘high-risk profiles’.

In a bid to placate the anger, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced late Thursday that some 3,000 substitute teachers would be deployed in the coming days to replace absent staff at the 114 worst-affected high schools.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has also promised a plan to respond to the crisis by the end of October, while Economy Minister Roland Lescure said there was room to address demands for more school resources within the highly constrained 2027 budget.

In the current draft budget, education has the second largest increase in funding – after defence – with a boost of 1.4 per cent to 90.9 billion euros.

Of the 3,700 high schools across France, called lycees, only 141 were closed on Friday, the education ministry reported.

Last Friday, some 800 schools had closed due to the protests.

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