Protests swept across France, Albania, Portugal, Belgium and Italy over the weekend, driven by anger over rising living costs, housing shortages, education concerns and government policies. Demonstrations in several countries escalated into violent clashes with police.
In France, nationwide protests over rising living costs, inequality and declining public services escalated into violent riots on Saturday, 17 October. Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations, according to the interior minister, while a trade union estimated the turnout at 800,000. Clashes with police, fires, looting and attacks on public buildings were reported across several cities, including Paris, Marseille and Lyon. More than 1,200 people were arrested, while President Emmanuel Macron vowed to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.
In Albania, student-led protests demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation escalated into violent clashes with police in the capital, Tirana, on Saturday, 17 October. Police appeared to fire rubber bullets at demonstrators as unrest intensified over alleged government corruption, unemployment and poor education standards. More than 1,000 people have been arrested, while seven police officers have been suspended over alleged misconduct. Rama has rejected calls to step down, pledging to uphold the right to protest.
In Portugal, tens of thousands of protesters marched through central Lisbon on Saturday, 17 October, demanding action over soaring living costs and a worsening housing crisis. Demonstrators say low wages are failing to keep pace with rising rents, property prices and everyday expenses. House prices have more than doubled since 2017, while inflation reached 3.6 per cent in September. Despite growing public pressure, the centre-right government says it will not give in to street protests and insists measures are already being implemented to address the crisis.
In Belgium, hundreds of mostly young protesters gathered in Brussels, 17 October, to demonstrate against rising education costs and proposed reforms, with tensions escalating into violent clashes with police. Police used tear gas and water cannon after clashes broke out, while some demonstrators overturned a car. Student groups fear the reforms could make higher education less accessible. The unrest, partly inspired by protests in neighbouring France, also spread to the eastern city of Liège.
In Italy, cost-of-living protests escalated into violent clashes with police in Milan and Bologna on Saturday, 17 October. Police used tear gas in Milan after demonstrators reportedly threw stones near the city's famous cathedral, while officers in Bologna deployed water cannon and arrested seven people. Shops were forced to close, tourists fled the area and several injuries were reported in Milan. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence, saying, “Demonstrating is a right. Turning our cities into battlegrounds is not.”
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What started out as planned protests against the cost of living, declining public services and education funding in France, quickly devolved into violent riots across the country on Saturday.
The day after waiving sanctions and tariffs related to Russian exports, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he has yet to announce a final decision on the matter as Secretary of State Marco Rubio said officials want more time to evaluate the situation.
A Saudi AH-6i helicopter crashed in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia due to a technical malfunction, killing its two crew members, the Saudi-led coalition's spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
Strong winds that fuelled a deadly grass fire are what killed four Canadian soldiers and sent 39 people to hospital at a military training area in Alberta, Canada, according to authorities. 19 people remain in critical condition. The winds caused the flames to spread rapidly.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation on Sunday, condemning the violence, looting and vandalism that erupted during cost-of-living protests on Saturday. He ordered a review of police preparedness and called for urgent talks to address the growing social unrest.
U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the country’s parliamentary election on 27 October, praising him as a strong leader and a partner in the war with Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sunday for talks with Central Asian officials, as the Trump administration seeks to strengthen ties with a resource-rich region bordering China, Russia and Iran.
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