(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The wave of protests has now swept through France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Austria and Albania. Protests also took place in Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland, albeit on a smaller scale.
France: Teacher protests become flashpoint
The protests first took place at the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris. In September this year, teachers at the school announced a strike to protest layoffs and funding cuts, and students subsequently joined the protests.
The protests first spread to the capital Paris and then spread throughout France. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said at least 550,000 people took to the streets on Saturday. Protests that started out peacefully turned violent in many cities. Stores were looted and cars and trash cans were set on fire. The town hall of Limoges, built in 1883, was destroyed by arson. Official data shows that a total of 1,800 people were arrested and more than 500 police officers were injured in the incident.
Belgium: Cut education funding and raise university tuition fees
The wave of protests in France soon spread to neighboring Belgium. On October 1, students blocked schools in a protest in Liège. On October 9, a large-scale trade union demonstration took place in the capital Brussels.
On October 12 and 17, protest rallies were held again in these two cities, and there were scenes of violent clashes between young people and the police. One of the reasons for the protests was the Belgian government's 10 billion euro austerity plan. This includes cutting €500 million in education funding in the French-speaking region until 2029. On top of this, the government plans to raise university tuition fees and scrap discounted bus tickets for young people.
Italy: Looting stores
This past Saturday, a rally against war and inflation in Milan turned into violent clashes with the police. Masked demonstrators not only looted stores but also threw rocks and other objects at police. They set up barricades with bar tables and chairs and set them on fire.
Giuseppe Sala, the mayor of Milan from the center-left camp, told the media: "The reasons for the protests are understandable, but the violence against the police and the destruction of municipal facilities are absolutely unjustified."
Portugal: House prices soar
Tens of thousands of people also took part in demonstrations in Portugal to protest against the soaring cost of living and the crisis facing the housing market. Many people can no longer afford rising rents.
According to a report released by the European Union in June this year, house prices in Portugal have increased by 130% since 2013. At the same time, data from the Portuguese National Statistics Institute showed that rents for newly signed leases this year increased by 10.2% year-on-year.
Spain: Forced elderly people to move causes outrage
Spain’s housing crisis is equally severe. In early October this year, the death of an 87-year-old man triggered strong public dissatisfaction with high rents.
After a years-long legal battle, 87-year-old pensioner María del Carmen Abascal was forced to move out of the Madrid apartment where she had lived for 70 years because her pension could no longer afford the increased rent.
Despite pressure from public opinion, the elderly woman was allowed to move back into the apartment a few days later, and the rent would not exceed 30% of her income. However, after experiencing forced relocation and other hardships, the old man passed away on October 7.
Hundreds of people have since occupied Madrid's Puerta del Sol to protest against rising housing costs. Local media reported that authorities had ordered the closure of the Puerta del Sol subway station on Friday due to deteriorating sanitary conditions.
Albania: Opposition to luxury tourism development
Protests in the Albanian capital Tirana have been going on for months. Initially, the "Flamingo" protests were against the development of a large luxury tourism project on Albania's southern coastline.
Now, the protests have evolved into anti-government demonstrations calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama. Protesters threw rocks, gasoline, flares and fireworks at police on Saturday. The police responded with tear gas, water cannon and batons.
Greece: Tent city appears in front of parliament
The protests in Greece were relatively small. On October 13, students from many universities in Athens set up tents in front of the Parliament Building. Local media reported that protest organizers made that clear. They were inspired by the protests in France and Spain.
Teachers unions, college students, school administrators and parent groups have called for a nationwide strike on October 21 and have launched demonstrations in dozens of cities.
Austria: Opposes cuts to university funding
Austrian university students also staged protests. On October 13, approximately 6,000 university students and faculty members took to the streets to protest against the authorities’ plan to cut funding for university education. Protesters warn that funding cuts will lead to more crowded classrooms, more shortages of teachers, more inequality in education, and further reductions in investment in scientific research and school building construction.
Previously, the Austrian Student Union launched an online petition titled "Save the University - Against Cutting University Funding" and collected approximately 60,000 signatures. The protest comes against the backdrop that university funding will be cut by one billion euros in the next three-year plan.
