Protests spread across Europe

Student protests are spreading across several European countries, with young people, teachers, parents and university students taking to the streets over education funding, school conditions, rising costs and concerns about cuts to public spending.

The latest unrest has been particularly intense in France and Belgium, but demonstrations and school occupations have also emerged in Italy, Greece, Ireland, Germany and Austria.

While the protests are not part of a single coordinated European movement, they reflect similar concerns about underfunded education systems, teacher shortages, deteriorating facilities and the rising cost of studying.

France: Protests grow into nationwide movement

France has become the centre of the latest wave of student unrest.

The protests began in Paris in mid-September as a demonstration by high-school students but have since expanded into a nationwide movement involving students, parents and teachers’ unions.

Protesters are demanding increased funding for education, with concerns including crowded classrooms, inadequate school resources and pressure on teachers and students.

The demonstrations have also led to increasingly serious clashes with police. A 15-year-old boy lost his hand after a police-fired stun grenade exploded during protests, prompting authorities to suspend the use of the weapons at student demonstrations.

More than 6,500 people, most of them minors, have been arrested since the protests began.

The scale of the unrest has also placed the French government’s broader fiscal position under scrutiny, as it faces pressure to reduce its deficit while maintaining public services.

Belgium: Clashes in Liège

Belgium has seen some of the most serious unrest outside France.

Police and protesters clashed in Liège on Wednesday as student anger over education costs and school conditions intensified.

The protests in the city began on October 1, and police have made at least 139 arrests since the demonstrations started.

The unrest has included clashes between protesters and police, highlighting concerns that the movement could become more disruptive as it spreads.

Belgian students’ grievances centre on education funding and school conditions, mirroring some of the concerns raised by protesters in France.

Belgium is also facing significant budgetary pressure. The European Commission forecasts a budget deficit of more than 5% of GDP this year, limiting the government’s room for additional spending.

Italy: Students occupy schools in solidarity with France

Italy has seen the movement take a different form, with high-school students beginning occupations in Turin and Rome.

The demonstrations are being held under the slogan “Let’s do as in France”, explicitly linking the Italian mobilisation to the protests across the border.

Students have cited underfunding, deteriorating school buildings and rising living costs among their main concerns.

The movement has also included international solidarity. A delegation of Italian students travelled to Paris to show support for French protesters.

The occupations suggest that the French demonstrations are increasingly influencing student activism elsewhere in Europe, even where local grievances remain the main driver.

Greece: Nationwide school actions planned

Greek students have also called for nationwide school actions on Thursday.

The planned mobilisation includes assemblies, walkouts and demonstrations, with occupations also possible at some schools.

The Greek protests come as students across Europe focus attention on education funding and conditions in schools and universities.

Unlike the unrest in France and Belgium, the Greek mobilisation has so far been centred on organised student actions rather than widespread clashes with police.

The demonstrations nevertheless show how quickly education-related grievances are spreading across national borders.

Ireland: University students protest fees and housing costs

In Ireland, thousands of university students demonstrated in Dublin earlier this month.

Their demands have focused on lower student fees, increased government funding for higher education and more affordable accommodation.

Housing costs have become an increasingly important issue for students, with the cost of securing accommodation adding to the financial burden of attending university.

The Irish protests therefore combine traditional demands for greater education investment with broader concerns about the cost of living.

Germany: Education investment and opposition to mandatory military service

Germany has also experienced demonstrations over the state of its education system.

Students, teachers, parents and unions rallied in September to demand greater investment in education, more teachers and a fairer school system. The demonstrations have highlighted concerns about teacher shortages, inadequate resources and differences in educational opportunities.

At the same time, young people in Germany are also protesting against plans to reintroduce mandatory military service. Student groups have raised concerns that compulsory service would place an additional burden on young people and interfere with their education and future plans. The issue has added another major point of contention to youth protests in Germany, alongside demands for greater investment in schools and universities.

Austria: Universities warn of potential cuts

In Austria, student groups are preparing new demonstrations for mid-October.

The planned protests follow warnings from the country’s university association that the next three-year university budget could face cuts of around €1 billion.

The prospect of reduced funding has raised concerns among students and universities about the impact on teaching, research and higher education services.

The planned demonstrations show that education spending is becoming a growing political issue even in countries where the current protests have not reached the scale seen in France.

Spain: Housing protests intensify after eviction and death of 87-year-old woman

Spain is facing a growing wave of protests over housing costs, rising rents and evictions, with the case of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, becoming a symbol of the country’s housing crisis.

Maricarmen was forcibly evicted from her Madrid home on September 23 after living there for around 70 years. She was removed on a stretcher as police cleared the area outside the apartment, with images of the eviction triggering widespread anger and protests across Spain.

She was taken to hospital following the eviction and died there on Wednesday, October 7. Her lawyer confirmed her death but did not initially disclose the cause. Reuters subsequently reported that she died following severe anxiety and exhaustion.

The eviction had already become a major focus of the housing movement. Demonstrators gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and other cities, demanding stronger protections for tenants, action on rents and measures to prevent evictions. After news of Maricarmen’s death, protesters held vigils and marched towards Spain’s Parliament, with demonstrators saying they would continue the campaign in her memory.

The case also highlights the scale of Spain’s housing affordability problem. The country’s average rent has nearly doubled over the past decade, while the Bank of Spain estimates a housing shortage of about 750,000 homes that could exceed one million by 2028.

The political consequences have also been significant. Spain’s two largest trade unions, UGT and CCOO, have announced a nationwide general strike for November 11 over the housing crisis, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an early general election for November 29 after parliament rejected government measures aimed at addressing housing pressures.

Maricarmen’s death has therefore pushed housing even further to the centre of Spain’s political debate, with protesters arguing that her case illustrates the human cost of rising rents, housing shortages and evictions.

Why are protests spreading?

The protests are not part of one centrally organised European movement. Each country has its own education-related grievances.

However, several common themes are emerging.

Students and education workers are increasingly protesting over underfunded schools, teacher shortages, deteriorating buildings, crowded classrooms and the rising cost of education and accommodation.

The protests are also taking place against a difficult economic backdrop.

France and Belgium are each expected to record budget deficits of more than 5% of GDP this year, while Austria’s deficit is forecast to exceed 4%, according to European Commission forecasts.

At the same time, higher borrowing costs are making it more expensive for governments to service their debt.

That creates a difficult choice for governments: they face pressure to reduce deficits while students, teachers and universities are demanding more public investment.

A wider European education debate

The protests therefore reflect both local problems and a broader European debate about the future of public education.

France has seen the most dramatic escalation, while Belgium has experienced serious clashes in Liège. Italy has seen school occupations inspired directly by the French movement, while Greece is preparing nationwide student actions.

In Ireland, the focus is heavily linked to university fees and accommodation, while Germany’s demonstrations centre on investment, staffing and equality. Austria, meanwhile, is bracing for protests over possible university funding cuts.

The movements remain nationally distinct, but their shared concerns suggest that education spending is emerging as a significant source of youth and public discontent across Europe.

Also read: France: Protests intensify as hundreds of schools are blockaded
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