"Improve the educational environment" Belgian high school students take to the streets... About 100 people arrested

Protests continue in eastern Liège... Tear gas suppression for vandalism and arson

Influenced by student protests in neighboring France... There are still hundreds of people

(Brussels = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun Yun-kyung = In Belgium, local media reported that high school students have been protesting for several days, demanding improved educational environments, and the authorities are struggling to control the situation.

According to the local Belga news agency, hundreds of students have been occupying the streets in the eastern city of Liège, a major French-speaking city, for several days, causing damage to facilities and acts of arson. Liege police announced on the 7th (local time) that they have arrested 107 people to date as protests by high school students that have continued since the beginning of this month have become more extreme.

Traffic was paralyzed around the protest site, and riot police wearing helmets reportedly fired tear gas and clashed with students, creating tension.

Authorities are warning citizens to avoid approaching the city center and recommending that stores close early to prepare for possible riots, Reuters reported.

Protesting students in Belgium's French-speaking education system took to the streets to protest against rising education costs, overcrowding in classrooms and difficulty accessing learning materials. In Belgium, which is divided into a French-speaking population and a Dutch-speaking population, the French-speaking education system is considered to be in a relatively poor environment.

At the protest site, people chanted, "It's a mess, we're fighting for rights, not privileges!", "We chose education, not 'The Hunger Games'!" A sign with slogans such as:

Some students told Reuters they were in contact with French students who were staging large protests.

“We support each other because the problems we have are almost the same,” said Alfred, 19.

Another 19-year-old female student explained that the Belgian student movement that started earlier this year was revitalized by protests in France.

However, unlike France, where hundreds of thousands of people are participating and shaking the whole country, the protests in Belgium are limited to sporadic protests with hundreds of people participating, centered in Liege. Belgian students who are protesting are expressing their dissatisfaction, saying that the political world is not paying much attention to their concerns and collective action.

“I hope that young people can express their grievances in a peaceful way and that their concerns will be heard and peace can be restored,” Liège Mayor Willie DeMayer told local broadcaster RTBF.