About 13,000 people took part in a protest in Liège on Thursday morning against education spending cuts, according to trade unions.
Earlier in the morning, police gave a provisional estimate of more than 5,000 demonstrators in the streets of the city.
The inter-union march, bringing together teachers, students, parents and other supporters of the sector, set off at about 10.30 a.m.
Its symbolic route ran through the city centre, linking nursery schools with higher education institutions and passing, among other places, the academies.
The unions say the cuts approved in December 2025 and again in June will have serious consequences for education.
They estimate that nearly 2,000 full-time equivalent posts will be lost in schools.
They also warn of reduced staffing levels, higher costs for families, and the risk of some sites being merged or closed.
Following action already taken in several schools in Liège since the start of the academic year, protesters are calling for urgent reinvestment in the sector.
They are also demanding smaller class sizes, renovated school buildings and a lighter workload for staff.
