Youth protests spread across Europe, approaching euro crisis levels

A wave of youth anger across Europe

Since mid-September, at least 177 protests have taken place in 12 European countries, according to an analysis by the Spanish daily El Pais covering 15 September to 23 October. El Pais says the scale is approaching that of the most turbulent months of the euro zone debt crisis in 2010 to 2012. Most demonstrators are young people demanding better conditions in education, cheaper housing and lower living costs. Some protests ended in clashes with police, and further demonstrations have already been announced. The protests are not a coordinated movement, although they often happen at the same time and share the same demands. El Pais found that 80% of all protests took place in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium.

France: from school blockades to nationwide riots

In France the protests began in September, when pupils blockaded schools to demand more teachers, smaller classes and better buildings. The movement then spread across the country, and on 17 October the French interior ministry counted 550,000 participants. Riots broke out that day, more than 2,000 people were detained and nearly 1,000 police officers were injured. Paris authorities then introduced restrictions on assemblies. Shopkeepers on main streets have boarded up windows and doors with fibreboard in anticipation of further violence.

Paris on Saturday, 24 October

Authorities deployed about 70,000 police across France for the fourth weekend of protests, backed by mounted units, helicopters, drones, anti-drone systems and armoured vehicles. In Paris the march was due to start at Place de la Bastille, but authorities refused that route at the last moment and moved the starting point south to the area near Porte d'Italie. Many people had already gathered at the original site, and after scuffles with officers the crowd left under police escort. Authorities put the number at the start at about 35,000, against 60,000 a week earlier. Interior minister Laurent Nuñez said 135 people had been detained across France by 13:00, and 24 metro stations were closed on police orders. In Lyon, police used tear gas on about 150 people despite a preventive ban on gatherings. Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged protesters to obey the orders, while accusing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of trying to disrupt the right to demonstrate.

Spain and Portugal: housing at the centre

In Spain and Portugal the main driver of mobilisation is the housing crisis. In late September authorities counted at least 25,000 people marching in Madrid, while the organisers estimated attendance at 300,000. Protests then spread to dozens of Spanish cities. The Madrid protests followed the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from a flat she had rented since 1956. After a private company bought the building in 2018 and raised the rent three times, she refused to leave, and on 23 September police carried her out on a stretcher while neighbours and activists protested outside. She was taken straight to hospital. In Madrid, hundreds of protesters have been camping in a tent village at Puerta del Sol for weeks. In Portugal, demonstrators oppose a draft law that would make evictions easier.

Authorities' estimate25,000

Organisers' estimate300,000

Authorities' estimate

25000 people

Organisers' estimate

300000 people

Data from the article text

Belgium, Italy and Greece

In Belgium, students protest against tuition increases and budget cuts. In Italy, one of the grievances is a rule limiting the share of foreign students to 30%. In Greece, more than 10,000 people took part in a teachers' strike on 21 October. Eurostat data cited in the coverage show that consumer prices in the EU rose by a combined 23.6% since 2022, a backdrop that protesters link to their cost-of-living concerns. Youth representative Luka Leszić of the European Students' Union told El Pais that autumn brings students back to campuses, where changes to fees, scholarships and study conditions are felt directly.