🇪🇺 Europe’s cost-of-living anger spills into streets as protests turn violent across several countries

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across France for a second straight weekend amid anger over living costs and deteriorating public services. Similar grievances also fueled protests that swept Italy, Portugal and Albania.

Despite curfews and restrictions imposed in more than 100 French cities, clashes erupted, though the destruction was less extensive than last weekend.

🔴 authorities deployed 70,000 police backed by armored vehicles, water cannons and drones

🔴 government counted 410,000 demonstrators, compared with 800,000 estimated by the CGT union

🔴 around 1,000 people detained nationwide by Saturday evening, two were seriously injured

🔴 police deployed water cannon in Paris

🔴 clashes broke out in Lyon, Lille, Nice, Rennes and Dijon, with police deploying tear gas; some stores were damaged or looted

In Italy, demonstrations turned violent in Turin, Rome and Bologna, while protests in Milan remained largely peaceful.

In Portugal, police dismantled a protest camp in Lisbon after thousands marched over soaring rents, housing unaffordability, and proposed changes that would ease evictions and lift rent caps on new leases.

Albania’s student-led protests over government corruption, unemployment and poor education standards escalated in Tirana.

Police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets as demonstrators hurled rocks and set fire to the agriculture ministry entrance, demanding PM Edi Rama’s resignation.

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