Cost-of-living protests spread across Europe with unrest in France and Germany

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of France and Germany on Saturday to protest against rising costs of living and deteriorating public services. Demonstrations were mostly peaceful, but clashes erupted in several cities between police and masked groups. In France, 565 people were arrested during the third day of protests in a month.

About 320,000 people participated in approximately 150 demonstrations across the country, a decrease from the estimated 410,000 who took part in the previous weekend. In Paris, 70,000 marchers, including some in Halloween costumes, marched along boulevards to avoid the city center. The protests, organized by students, trade unions, and former members of the "yellow vest" movement, remained calm until the end, when masked groups attacked police with paving stones, who responded with tear gas and baton charges.

Incidents also occurred in Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse, where water cannons were deployed. Four police officers and a gendarme were injured in Paris. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez denounced an "extraordinary" level of violence and described a petrol bomb attack on a riot officer as "attempted murder." The protests, which began a month ago over the state of schools, expanded to the cost of living.

On October 17, the first major day of protests saw the looting of hundreds of shops in several cities. In Germany, thousands of young people demonstrated in dozens of cities for education, health, the climate, and affordable living. Police in Cologne used water cannons against protesters throwing fireworks, and there were looting incidents in Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Clashes also took place in Tirana, Albania, at a protest demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama. Police in Barcelona remained on alert due to calls from an anonymous TikTok network, and Italy saw recent clashes in Milan, Turin, and Bologna.