Belgian police clash with students over education costs and reforms

Several hundred people, mostly young, protested in central Brussels on Saturday, with clashes erupting against police over rising education costs and university reforms. Belgian student groups contest measures they say will make higher education less accessible. Police used tear gas and water cannons during the confrontations, and some protesters overturned a car, according to a Reuters witness. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin condemned the violence on X, warning authorities would use all necessary means to restore order. The protests were partly inspired by demonstrations in France. Another protest occurred in Liege, where students also demonstrated in early October over education costs and access to study materials. The Belgian unrest is part of broader social movements across Europe, with French protests expanding from education funding to wider inequality and cost-of-living issues.