Protests turn violent in Brussels over education reforms

Key facts

• Clashes broke out between protesters and police in Brussels.
• Protests were against planned reforms to the French Community's education sector.
• Reforms include increasing annual tuition fees and adding classroom hours for teachers.
• Police used tear gas against protesters.
• The French Community government aims to address a €1.9 billion deficit.

Clashes erupted in Brussels on Thursday as a protest against planned reforms to the French Community's education sector turned violent. Police used tear gas against protesters in the city centre, which was strewn with debris and vandalised bicycles and street signs. Some windows had been smashed. The Brussels police department advised people to avoid the area around the city's main railway station. Belgian media also reported protests in other French-speaking cities, including Namur and Charleroi, though they were mostly calmer than those in Brussels. Belgium's French Community government plans to increase annual tuition fees for higher education to €1,194 ($1,280) from €835 for the majority of students, representing a 35% increase. The government states this is part of a cost-cutting drive and brings fees broadly into line with those in Flemish, Dutch-speaking universities. Other proposed measures include requiring teachers with pupils in the final years of secondary school to take on two extra classroom hours per week without additional pay, and revising tenure rules. One teacher attending the protest expressed concerns about working more for the same wages and deteriorating working conditions with larger classes. French Community government leader Elisabeth Degryse defended the fee increase due to strained public finances, noting the government is heading for a €1.9 billion deficit. Education Minister Valerie Glatigny stated the aim of the measures is to free up money to reinvest in the sector. The parliament of the French Community was expected to vote on the proposed cost-cutting measures later on Thursday. Footage showed masked demonstrators hurling fireworks, setting fires in the road and smashing property as police deployed water cannons in an attempt to regain control of the city.