Scores of people took to the streets in France and Germany as Europe witnessed yet another week of protests. France saw its third consecutive weekend of demonstrations, while those in Germany turned violent, with protesters looting stores and hurling petrol bombs at authorities.
The demonstrations in France began last month with high school students protesting teacher shortages, neglected buildings, and the university admissions system. However, the agitation expanded when labor unions and others joined in with several other demands. Protesters in France took to the streets on Saturday in a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over education and living costs, The Associated Press reported.
However, organisers are said to have reported higher figures. Protesters launched glass bottles and fireworks, while police used stun grenades and tear gas. Several police officers were injured in the violence after thousands joined youth-led protests across the country, AFP reported.
Their estimates could not be known at the time of publishing. avenues that ring the edge of Paris, remained largely peaceful at first, with techno music playing and marchers going trick-or-treating for Halloween, unrest broke out near Porte de Charenton While the crowd along the Boulevards des Maréchaux. In Paris, each demonstrating group had its own banner. The groups included: high school students, climate activists and people protesting about the cost of living. Meanwhile, an IT worker protested in solidarity with the students and her mother, who was struggling with a minimum wage job. In Frankfurt, demonstrators clashed with police, throwing stones, fireworks, and petrol bombs. Meanwhile, police deployed water cannons and pepper spray as several stores, including a gun store, were looted and damaged. “In the city center area, windows of several shops have been smashed. Additionally, Molotov cocktails were also being thrown at emergency forces. Barricades were set on fire in Hamburg, while scuffles also broke out in Berlin and Cologne. “What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service, and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden,” Reuters further quoted Friedrich as saying. Discontent also surfaced elsewhere in Europe, centered around the housing crisis and a better future. Portugal is experiencing one of Europe’s worst housing crises, with younger demographics bearing the brunt. The protesters are demanding the government scrap a bill making evictions easier and ending rent caps on new leases. This came following online appeals for protests and fears of looting and rioting. (with inputs from agencies)
The French government estimated that 3,20,000 protesters took part nationwide on Saturday, down from 5,50,000 on October 17 and 4,10,000 on October 24, the report stated. Over 560 were arrested nationwide by Saturday night, AP added, according to the French authorities. It took place across 34 cities in the country, including Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt, according to a Reuters report. Police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported around 18,000 protesters, half of the roughly 36,000 on the organisers’ website, according to Reuters. House prices have more than doubled since 2017 and rents for new leases have nearly doubled, Reuters reported.
A student, Corentin Cabreux, 21, said that he lives in a state-run student residence where “there are damp stains all along the bottom of my walls, whole sections peeling off, cockroaches everywhere, rats,” the AP report added. A woman with gray hair carried a sign that read: “The Old are Fed Up Too,” it added. The protests in Germany were organised by the campaign group “Gen Z regelt” (“Gen Z takes charge” in German). A suspect was arrested, and two weapons were seized, according to the police. We urge all uninvolved individuals to avoid or leave the city center area,” Frankfurt police said on X. In Lisbon, demonstrators protested against Portugal’s housing crisis, holding up placards reading “Houses or Fire” and “We are not Afraid.
Masked rioters reportedly looted stores in Frankfurt on Saturday after thousands of protesters took to the streets in Germany, demanding lower living costs and better education. Hooded rioters looted shops in the German city of Frankfurt on Saturday amid demonstrations. Lina Friedrich, Gen Z regelt spokesperson, said in Berlin on Saturday, “We are here today to fight for peace and freedom, rather than for war and coercion. Housing protesters returned to one of Lisbon’s main squares on Saturday, stepping up pressure on the government to scrap a rental bill. However, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Thursday ruled out scrapping the bill but said he was open to amending it ahead of a final vote in the following weeks, the report added. In The Hague, heavy police forces were present in and around the downtown shopping area on Saturday afternoon.
The group voiced its opposition to compulsory military service and demanded more investment in education as many young Germans face rising costs, the report added.
