Over the weekend, images of burned-out cars and smashed-in store windows across France flooded social media, as hundred of thousands of protestors took to the streets.
On Saturday, a fresh round of 3,000 “No Kings” events took place in the U.S. as Americans gathered in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., to encourage early voting, with many showing up at local precincts to cast their ballots ahead of the upcoming November 3 midterm elections.
The disparity in political activity is startling, leaving many asking why so many young people are mobilizing throughout Europe—not only in France, but also in Belgium, Spain, and Portugal.
The short answer is: While the poor conditions plaguing France’s high schools were the initial catalyst for the massive nationwide protests, the demonstrations have since expanded into a much larger movement, sparking unrest around Europe over the skyrocketing cost of living. From high housing and food costs to soaring fuel prices, Europeans, like Americans, are suffering through an affordability crisis.
Along with their teachers, French high school students are demanding better funding for their education amid a massive teacher shortage, which has led to ballooning teacher absences. France’s largest labor union, which supports the protests, is calling for lower prices and increased wages, The Guardian reported.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to restore calm and meet this week with protestors, but the movement is already gaining ground in Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and Italy.
In Belgium, 150 people were arrested over the weekend in Brussels after riots broke out on Saturday amid protests to cuts in French-speaking education, according to The Brussels Times.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Portuguese gathered in the center of Lisbon, where housing costs surged a staggering 124% from 2015 to 2024, roughly twice as fast as the European Union average, per The Guardian.
This echoes recent demonstrations in Spain, where tens of thousands took to Madrid’s streets over the housing crisis after a 87-year-old disabled woman was evicted from her longtime home. (Spain’s rents are up 80% within the past 10 years, while home prices rose 63%.)
A similar crisis is happening in Italy. On Monday, shops were boarded up in Milan after protests over the cost of living led to violent clashes with police, massive store looting, and vandalism, per Reuters.
