Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Young people have taken to the streets across several European countries, including France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, to protest against rising living costs, housing crisis and deteriorating education standards, with demonstrations in some places turning violent.
The protests reflect growing public discontent over economic pressures, shortages of teachers, inadequate school infrastructure and rising rents. In France, student demonstrations over education have expanded to include wider demands for higher wages, better pensions and relief from rising fuel prices.
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According to The Guardian and news agency reports, the demonstrations have taken different forms across the continent, with protesters demanding action from governments on issues affecting their daily lives.
FRANCE SEES STUDENT PROTESTS, CLASHES WITH POLICE
In France, high school students have clashed with police during protests over long school hours, teacher shortages, deteriorating classroom conditions and a university admissions system they consider opaque.
Staff shortages have left pupils without teaching for extended periods, with some reportedly missing months of classes because vacant positions remain unfilled.
The demonstrations have since drawn support from people protesting against the wider cost-of-living crisis, including rising fuel prices following US bombing that led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), one of France’s largest trade unions, has backed the protests, calling for lower prices, higher pensions and increased wages.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is approaching the end of his second term at the lyse Palace, is facing mounting pressure amid the unrest.
HOUSING CRISIS SPARKS PROTESTS IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
In Spain, housing costs have fuelled public anger, with activists taking to the streets in September following the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, Maricarmen Abascal, whose rent was reportedly increased by 230% by an investment fund.
Abascal died a fortnight after being admitted to hospital, intensifying public debate over housing insecurity and the treatment of vulnerable tenants.
Protesters have demanded lower rents, an end to evictions and restrictions on investment funds purchasing residential properties.
Similar concerns prompted hundreds of people to gather in central Lisbon, Portugal, on Saturday. Official data show that Portuguese house prices rose by 124% between 2015 and 2024, roughly twice the European Union average over the period.
Housing affordability has emerged as a major concern across the Iberian Peninsula, as residents struggle with rising property prices and the cost of securing accommodation.
COST-OF-LIVING ANGER SPILLS ONTO STREETS IN ITALY
In Milan, demonstrators took to the streets over mounting pressure on household budgets.
A march on Saturday began peacefully but later descended into violence, with masked rioters throwing stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police. Barricades made from bar tables were also set on fire.
Saturday marked the first day of cost-of-living protests in Italy, Portugal and Belgium, according to reports.
Meanwhile, demonstrations in Albania against Prime Minister Edi Rama entered their sixth consecutive day on Sunday. Protesters have raised concerns over alleged corruption, a lack of employment opportunities and poor education standards.
The unrest in Albania has been ongoing since the summer, initially triggered by a luxury coastal development backed by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
GOVERNMENTS FACE PRESSURE TO RESPOND
The protests have already prompted some responses from authorities, particularly in France.
The French government has announced plans to deploy an additional 3,000 substitute teachers to address staffing shortages and involve students in decisions concerning schools. It has also withdrawn plans to increase certain university registration fees in next year’s budget.
Earlier demonstrations over fuel prices in mid-September prompted the lyse Palace to announce increased petrol subsidies for selected industries.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Snchez attempted to introduce emergency housing legislation aimed at strengthening tenant protections. However, the proposal was defeated in Congress by right-wing and far-right parties.
Following the defeat, Snchez called an early election for November 29, saying he needed a “broader progressive majority” to secure the passage of further reforms.
POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY CLOUDS PROSPECTS FOR CALM
In France, Macron was scheduled to deliver a televised address on Sunday evening after holding an emergency meeting with key ministers to discuss the unrest.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuez appeared to signal that the government was unwilling to make further concessions, blaming what he described as “far left” protesters and those responsible for looting and vandalising buildings.
France is due to hold its next presidential election in April 2027, adding to the political uncertainty surrounding the protests.
In Spain, the demonstrations could ease if the government manages to secure at least some of its proposed housing measures through Congress’s permanent council, a special body that operates when parliament is not in session.
Both Sanchez’s Socialists and the conservative People’s Party have pledged to increase housing construction and prioritise affordability ahead of the next election.
However, with housing costs, education concerns and household financial pressures continuing to fuel public anger, the extent to which government measures will satisfy protesters remains uncertain.
– Ends
With agency inputs
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
