As of Oct. 26, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across several European countries, demonstrating against worsening living conditions, including rising living costs, education concerns and housing problems.
In several major cities, clashes between authorities and demonstrators have escalated into violence, arrests and looting, as France and Spain prepare for national elections.
In France, hundreds of thousands marched through cities across the country in what began as student protests against shortages of teachers and staff. The movement has since expanded to include rising living costs and concerns about public services.
French President Emmanuel Macron has come under heavy criticism from trade unions, which accuse him of trying to curb the fundamental French right to protest.
Macron blamed social media for “damaging our democracies,” saying online platforms drew young people and others into places where “criminal acts, attacks and looting were taking place,” DW reported.
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Macron acknowledged that authorities had not anticipated the early mobilization of far-left groups, while French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said organized far-right groups had confronted far-left activists in some cities.
“In a number of cities, such as Nice and Montpellier, these groups arrived in organized formations, mainly to target the ultra-left movement,” Nuñez told broadcaster BFM TV.
Against this backdrop, the government proposed a “vandals pay” law that could hold demonstrators liable for up to 10,000 euros ($11,183) in damage during protests, even if they did not commit the vandalism themselves, The Guardian reported. The bill would also allow greater use of drones over demonstrations.
Meanwhile, thousands of Italians took to the streets of Milan, Rome and Turin on Oct. 24 to protest rising living costs amid tighter security measures. On Oct. 26, taxi and private-hire drivers gathered outside the Transport Ministry in Rome over soaring fuel prices, warning that demonstrations could escalate into a strike, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Italian news agency ANSA.
Italian police reported arresting nine people and briefly detaining 371 others, including 110 minors, across eight cities. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government had approved tougher security measures and carried out searches and arrests ahead of the rallies.
“Marching is a right. We need to make our voices heard,” Alessio Scimone, a 24-year-old betting shop worker protesting in Milan, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Protests also took place in Brussels and Liège in Belgium on Oct. 24. Police used pepper spray during clashes in Brussels, while demonstrations in Liège remained calm, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Belgian public broadcaster RTBF.
Iberian unrest
In Spain, 128 people were arrested following riots in Barcelona, more than half of them minors, according to Anadolu Agency. The unrest began after about 500 young people gathered around Plaça de Catalunya to demand better educational conditions.
Authorities said demonstrators set fire to 31 rubbish containers and threw objects at riot police. At least 23 businesses were vandalized or looted, while Barcelona City Council estimated damage to public street furniture at no less than 36,000 euros ($40,330).
In Madrid, activists protested rising housing costs after 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal was evicted from her home following a 230 percent rent increase sought by an investment fund. She died two weeks later after being hospitalized. Protesters are calling for rent freezes, an end to evictions of vulnerable residents and regulation of short-term and single-room rentals.
Portugal also saw widespread demonstrations as hundreds gathered in central Lisbon to protest soaring housing costs. According to official data, Portuguese property prices rose by 124 percent between 2015 and 2024, roughly twice the European Union average.
Portuguese police dismantled housing protest camps in Lisbon and Porto early on Oct. 25, using batons to disperse protesters and arresting 31 people, The Guardian reported. Police said their actions were proportionate and followed requests for protesters to leave voluntarily.
María Silvestre, a sociology professor at the University of Deusto in Spain, described young Europeans as experiencing “a strong sense of uncertainty and a lack of control,” The Associated Press reported.
“And when specific situations come together, a spark suddenly ignites that is capable of channeling that discontent and driving people into the streets,” Silvestre added.
Albania
In the Albanian capital, Tirana, demonstrators threw rocks at riot police, who responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets on Oct. 24, Reuters reported. Protesters also set a fire at the entrance to the Agriculture Ministry, while government buildings, banks and shops were attacked.
The unrest was fueled by anger over perceived government corruption, unemployment and poor educational conditions, with demonstrators calling on Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign after more than a decade in power. University students also marched toward the Education Ministry to demand better conditions.
“Albanians have woken up,” protester Daniel Tahiri said, describing the government as a “dictatorship with the clothes of democracy.”
On Oct. 25, Rama announced plans for new legal measures that would impose fines for organizing unauthorized demonstrations, failing to follow orders to disperse, wearing masks during protests and blocking traffic.
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