Student protests against education reforms continue across Belgium, with 16 arrests

Student protests against education reforms continued Monday across Belgium, with demonstrations reported in several cities and police making 16 administrative arrests, according to broadcaster RTBF.

Shops in central Liege were closed as a precaution as protesters moved through the city, including areas around Guillemins train station.

Police said 16 people had been administratively arrested shortly before 11 am local time (0900GMT).

Hundreds of students gathered outside several schools across the city.

Police said they found materials that could potentially be used to make Molotov cocktails, including glass bottles and pieces of fabric, in some protesters' bags.

However, no flammable substances were found, according to authorities.

Some protesters also attempted to break the shutters of the Saint-Michel Institute. Two people were arrested in connection with the incidents, according to the mayor.

Elsewhere in the Liege region, firefighters reported scooter fires in Herstal and Chenee.

In Herstal, around 20 students blocked the entrance to the IPES school.

On the Albert I Bridge in Liege, students unfurled a banner protesting a €1,200 (around $1,345) tuition fee.

In the city of Mons, around 100 young people marched through the city center, according to news portal Sudinfo.

An electric bicycle and garbage were set on fire, prompting firefighters to intervene.

Meanwhile, tensions also rose in Charleroi, where firecrackers and fireworks were set off outside. A waste container was also set on fire.

The movement in Belgium came as French high school students have been blocking access to and staging protests outside their schools for several days, demanding better learning conditions.