195 arrested as education protests turn violent in Belgium

Belgian police arrested 195 people during protests against education policies and budget cuts in Brussels and Liege on Saturday, according to police statements released Sunday.

Brussels police reported 150 arrests, comprising 118 administrative detentions and 32 judicial arrests. Fifteen of those detained under judicial procedures were minors.

The judicial arrests were linked to offenses including throwing objects at police officers, resisting arrest and deliberate arson, police said.

Investigators were continuing to identify suspects, and the figures could change, the statement added.

Five police officers sustained minor injuries, while unrest caused significant damage in central Brussels. Protesters used electric scooters and construction materials to erect barricades, according to police.

Officers repeatedly used tear gas and water cannons during the demonstrations.

In Liege, police reported 45 arrests, including 12 minors, comprising 40 administrative detentions and five judicial arrests, the Belga news agency reported.

Police also reported vandalism and fires in public areas Saturday evening.

Around 50 protesters gathered in Place Saint-Lambert and fired pyrotechnic mortars at the Prince-Bishops’ Palace, police said. Officers used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse them.

People gathered nearby chanted demands for their friends’ release. Calm appeared to have returned by the evening, according to police.

The Liege demonstration began peacefully, with between 200 and 250 people gathering outside Guillemins railway station around 10 am before marching to Place Saint-Lambert, where a sit-in blocked bus traffic.

Protesters later blocked roads near Le Cadran, including motorway access toward Burenville, with some moving barriers to build barricades, Belga reported.

Student protests that began in France over education conditions spread to French-speaking Belgium on Oct. 1. Previous demonstrations have resulted in numerous detentions, with some suspects subsequently remanded in custody.