BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Several hundred mostly young people protested in Brussels on Saturday, with rioters clashing with police in unrest partly inspired by demonstrations in neighbouring France.
Belgian student groups have said they are protesting against rising education costs and reforms they fear will make higher education less accessible.
Demonstrators gathered in central Brussels, many wearing masks and chanting anti-fascist slogans. Police used tear gas and water cannon, while some protesters overturned a car, according to a Reuters witness.
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said in a post on X that “what is unfolding in Brussels is no longer mere protest” and “all necessary means will be used to restore order in the face of the rioters”.
A protest also took place in the eastern city of Liège, where students earlier this month demonstrated over the French-language education system, citing rising education costs and difficulties accessing study materials.
The unrest in France began last month as protests over education funding and school conditions before broadening into a wider movement centred on inequality, public spending and living standards.
(Reporting by Yves Herman and Charlotte Van Campenhout. Writing by Lili Bayer. Editing by Mark Potter)
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