Thousands of students and teachers marched through the streets of the Greek capital of Athens Wednesday, calling for affordable student housing and more state investment in education, as protests that have swept Europe spread further.
The rising cost of living, including increased fuel costs, and anger over the state of schools and lack of affordable housing for students have been fuelling protests across Europe, with violence breaking out particularly at demonstrations in France, as well as in Italy and Albania. Others held up cardboard signs in French reading: “To study or to survive. Riot police closely shadowed the march, while officers conducted spot checks and bag searches on people heading toward the protest. Demonstrations in Greece often turn violent, and stores and cafes along the route rolled down steel shutters to guard against their windows being smashed.
“From Greece to France, give money to education,” one banner read in the Athens protest.
