Pro-Palestine Vandalism Targets McDonald's restaurant in Liège, Belgium, 06 October 2026

LIÈGE — Incidents of vandalism erupted in the city center yesterday afternoon as a faction of demonstrators targeted a local McDonald’s restaurant. The incident unfolded alongside widespread student protests that have disrupted the metropolitan area over the past several days.

The footage reveals a tense scene outside the restaurant's storefront, which had already been defaced with large graffiti reading "Free Gaza" painted across the window panes. A masked individual dressed in a black hooded jacket and jeans can be seen forcefully kicking the glass window multiple times, attempting to shatter it, while a crowd of onlookers and several people with cameras capture the act.

While the broader youth and student demonstrations in Liège originally organized to contest upcoming government education reforms and underfunded learning conditions, specific storefronts have faced targeted property damage linked to geopolitical boycott movements. Global fast-food chains like McDonald’s have frequently drawn protests from pro-Palestine activists who accuse the corporation of supporting foreign military entities.

Local law enforcement intervened as gatherings around the Place Saint-Lambert escalated, resorting to crowd control measures. The police de Liège reported dozens of administrative and judicial arrests following cases of property destruction, minor fires, and scuffles in the downtown sector.

Many of the student organizers have publicly distanced themselves from the destruction, emphasizing that a small subset of individuals using the crowd as cover is responsible for the property damage, which distracts from their primary cause regarding educational rights. An investigation into the vandalism and specific individuals involved is ongoing.