According to CCTV International, recent protests were held in several European countries to protest rising living costs and oppose wars. Early this morning on October 25th local time, the police in Lisbon, Portugal, encountered clashes with protesters while clearing a protest camp, resulting in multiple injuries. On the 24th, large numbers of protesters also clashed with the police in Barcelona, Spain. Some protesters even set fire to shops and caused fires during the chaos. Approximately 100 people were arrested that day. In Tirana, the capital of Albania, some demonstrators set fire to buildings and threw stones and other objects at the police. Anti-riot police used tear gas and high-pressure water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Among them, the most similar situation with France is Barcelona.
On the evening of October 24th, near the Catalan Square in the center of Barcelona, Spain, a protest organized by young people quickly turned into a riot. Masked individuals set fire to street facilities, smashed and robbed shops, leading to clashes with the police. The Catalan government reported that 100 people were arrested that night, about a quarter of whom were minors. There were more than 30 cases of arson, and 14 shops were damaged or robbed.
It is noteworthy that organizers used directly copied slogans and phrases from France on social media. This means that French protests have at least begun to spread a new form of mobilization symbols and street actions to other places.
On the same day, serious conflicts also occurred in Tirana, the capital of Albania on the Balkan Peninsula. Student leaders who protested against the government threw stones at the police and set fire to the entrance of the Ministry of Agriculture. The police used tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. This movement has lasted for several days, targeting corruption, inadequate employment, and declining education quality, and calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has been in power since 2013.
Albania and France do not have a clear organizational connection like Barcelona, but the scenario that emerges is becoming more and more similar: young people stand at the forefront, and the specific demands that were originally aimed at education, housing, or corruption are gradually turning into dissatisfaction with the government and the entire distribution system.
Portugal is currently in a relatively mild but alarming situation.
On the 24th, thousands of people held a housing demonstration in Lisbon, and over 100 tents were set up in Rossio Square in the city center. In the early hours of the 25th, the police forcibly cleared the area and used batons to disperse the protesters. A total of 31 people in Lisbon and Porto were arrested. The police had already cleared one protest camp before this incident, but the protesters quickly returned. Portuguese housing prices have more than doubled since 2017, and rental prices have nearly doubled as well. The central bank estimates that there is a shortage of about 300,000 homes across the country, with young people being among the groups most affected by this situation.
Therefore, it cannot be said at this time that a unified 'European turmoil' is underway.
France's core issues are living costs and public services. Spain has seen a significant imitation of French anti-systemic mobilization. Portugal's trigger point is housing, while in Albania, the problems are education, employment, and corruption. The political backgrounds, organizational strengths, and demands of each country are different.
In fact, even without the current unrest in France, these European countries often experience strikes and other protest activities. In June this year, Portugal experienced its second national general strike in half a year, resulting in the closure of railways, the cancellation of hundreds of flights, and the closure of many schools. On October 14th, the Lisbon railway system was also completely shut down due to a 24-hour strike. The union plans to continue with some strikes on October 28th and 30th.
But they do reveal a growing dilemma: many European young people are beginning to realize that traditional pathways to normal life are no longer effective.
They haven’t yet formed a cohesive movement, but the tension on European streets is indeed intensifying.
