Students occupy ULB building P1, forcing language classes to be cancelled or moved

Students are occupying building P1 at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) on the Solbosch campus in Brussels, blocking access to classrooms and some offices. According to security staff on site on Wednesday morning, 28 October 2026, the occupation has lasted several days. La DH and La Libre Belgique report that the situation was calm.

ULB Languages (ULB Langues) told students in an internal email on Tuesday evening, 27 October, that it does not yet have rooms for all its courses this week. The Wednesday and Friday courses lost all their rooms. Many other language courses and teaching activities that take place daily in the building are also affected.

The email warned that cancellations because of a lack of rooms could be announced at the last minute. Lecturers advise students to check their timetables online regularly. Courses cannot currently be guaranteed to run regularly or in the same rooms each week.

The email said the disruption could make it harder to organise next week, when all students resume classes. It also said it is very unlikely that classes will resume in building P1 this semester, given its current condition. Lecturers are working on possibly making up the lost teaching hours later. The email asks students to be patient and understanding about an unprecedented situation that is difficult for ULB Langues and for teachers.

What is happening at the building

Security staff are guarding the building. A student sits behind a door window to stop intruders, and the entrances are barricaded with barriers and other objects. A social media group called 'Occupation autonome ULB', which targets building P1, has claimed responsibility for the action.

On Wednesday morning ULB had not yet commented and said it was waiting for the rectorate to respond. The university noted that the school holiday period may mean some staff are absent, although campus life is not directly affected.

Wider protests and earlier blockade

The blockade comes amid student protests against government savings measures affecting higher education. The protests target a rise in the minerval (tuition fee), although fees are now set in tiers based on parents' incomes. They also target changes to the décret paysage, the Francophone higher education framework, and what protesters call 'social cuts'. On Thursday 22 October, the collective Gen-Z contre-attaque partially blocked the Solbosch campus over these measures, and ULB kept classes running.

It is unclear whether the P1 blockade is linked to the wider protests or to Gen-Z contre-attaque. Some students had named the Comac as behind the action, but it appears to be a different collective. La DH says the students denounce austerity measures, while La Libre Belgique reports the blockade as causing cancelled classes and a building that may be unusable for the whole semester.

In 2024, a similar blockade cost ULB between 500,000 and 700,000 euros, according to the rector. The rector also announced a complaint for damage to a recently renovated building. Students who said they were supporting the Palestinian people left after several weeks, escorted by police and a bailiff.