The wave began in mid-September at the Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry in Créteil, southeast of Paris, where teachers went on strike against job cuts and chronic underfunding. Pupils joined them, and the protest spread first to Paris and then across France. Official figures put the Saturday, 17 October turnout at no fewer than 550,000 people nationwide, and masked individuals joined the crowds to commit violence. Shops were looted, cars and bins were set alight, and the city hall in Limoges, a building dating from 1883, burned.
Officials counted 1,800 arrests and more than 500 injured police officers and firefighters. ANSA put detentions at at least 2,400 in its latest count. Trade minister Serge Papin said at least 3,000 shops had been damaged or looted, while RTVE reported more than 1,500 establishments looted across the country.
In Paris, entry to Place de la République and the Les Halles district is banned from 23:00 on Monday, 19 October, until 06:00 on Tuesday, 20 October, according to the police prefecture. Assemblies and demonstrations are barred from 20:00 in certain districts of the metropolis. The prime minister's office confirmed to dpa that minors face curfews from 20:00 to 06:00 on Monday and Tuesday in Lille, Douai, Wattignies and Denain, covering only parts of those towns. Nice mayor Éric Ciotti announced a curfew for minors from 21:00 to 06:00 in the city centre, where the worst weekend clashes took place. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the measures were very locally limited and aimed at protecting people and shops hit by looting.
In Belgium, school blockades in Liège began on 1 October, followed by a national strike day and a large demonstration in Brussels on 9 October. Further rallies on 12 and 17 October in both cities brought violent clashes between young people and police, and officers used tear gas and water cannon. The protests target government austerity plans of about 10 billion euros, including 500 million euros in cuts to the French-speaking education system by 2029, higher tuition fees and the end of cheap bus tickets for young people. Interior minister Bernard Quintin wrote on X that all necessary means would be used to restore order.
In Italy, thousands of students marched in Rome on Friday, 16 October, followed by protests over the weekend in Milan, Bologna, Brescia, Bergamo and Turin. In Milan on Saturday, 17 October, a rally against wars and inflation saw masked people loot shops and throw cobblestones at riot police. Police said more than 270 young people and young adults were arrested in Milan. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence and announced a government meeting on the issue.
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In Spain, the anger centres on the housing emergency and followed the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, with demonstrators calling the system "legalised theft". Tenant unions marched in Madrid and Barcelona, where protesters set up a camp at Puerta del Sol and demanded an immediate rent freeze, an end to tourist speculation and the requisition of empty homes owned by large funds. In Portugal, thousands marched in Lisbon and Porto against lost purchasing power and a property market that has become affordable only to foreign investors, pushing residents out of the cities. A permanent protest camp was set up at Rossio square in the capital. In Albania, students and young people protested in Tirana and other cities against high university costs and a lack of jobs for new generations.
Researchers interviewed by SRF News say shared grievances explain the spread, including living costs, inequality, housing shortages and a sense that young people are not heard. Michelle Beyeler of the University of Zurich warned that violence can cost a movement its message.
“If these riots become excessive, the substance gets lost.”
Nina-Kathrin Wienkoop of the University of Göttingen said social media had sped up mobilisation, which she called new.
“How quickly this is happening now is new.”
Beyeler noted that protests in one country often inspire demonstrations in others, pointing to Fridays for Future, which began in Sweden. Both researchers said repressive policing and a lack of dialogue can escalate unrest. DW also reported growing opposition in Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia and Ireland.
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Protests over living costs, rents and education cuts have spread from France to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and Albania, with looting and clashes in several cities. French authorities responded to weekend riots with local curfews.
AI text based on reports by Deutsche Welle, RTVE.es, SRF News and other publishers. Published .