Belgian students protest outside several schools in Liege

Student protests that have taken place across France in recent days spread to Belgium on Thursday, with students gathering spontaneously outside several schools in the Liege region.

The demonstrations disrupted the start of classes at a number of schools, according to broadcaster RTBF.

Tensions were reported at several locations as the day progressed, with police saying firecrackers, eggs, apples and crowd-control barriers were thrown outside some schools.

A fire was set outside the Marie-Therese Institute in the Hors-Chateau district, with scooters and crowd-control barriers reportedly thrown into the flames.

A glass door at College Saint-Barthelemy was also smashed with an iron bar.

Police were deployed in large numbers around the affected schools.

The protests were reportedly initiated spontaneously by students and were not organized by teachers or trade unions.

The students reportedly called for smaller class sizes and adequate staffing, greater consideration of students' and parents' views, equal access to education, and decisions that they say should "build the future, not destroy it."

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.