The protest wave that began in French schools has become a continent-wide movement. On Saturday, October 24, about 410,000 people marched across France, according to the French Interior Ministry — and the unrest spread the same weekend to Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Albania.
What started as students demanding better schools and funding has broadened into a fight over the cost of living, housing, wages and public services, with trade unions and workers joining students on the streets.
Barcelona: 128 arrested, most of them minors
In Barcelona, protesters set fire to trash bins and looted stores around the central Catalonia Square, leading to clashes with police. Local authorities reported 128 arrests on charges of vandalism and theft — and more than half of those detained, 73, were minors.
In Italy, demonstrations filled Rome, Milan, Turin and Florence. In Rome, some protesters clashed with police and even entered the ancient Colosseum. In Milan, where 1,400 military and police personnel were deployed, no looting like last weekend's attacks on luxury stores was reported. Italian police said they carried out nine arrests and briefly detained 371 people in eight cities on Saturday — 110 of them minors.
In Brussels, around 400 protesters took to the streets, with sporadic clashes with police and nine arrests. In Tirana, Albania, thousands rallied in a fresh anti-government protest on Saturday, with police firing tear gas to disperse the crowd; more than 300 protesters and police have been injured in the clashes since mid-October.
What's next: a bill, more marches and a strike
The movement is not slowing down. In France, protesters and trade unions are preparing further demonstrations on October 31, followed by a nationwide strike planned for November 5, focused on wages, employment, public services and the rising cost of living.
Meanwhile, the French Senate is due to debate a controversial "Rioters Pay" bill on October 27 and 28. The bill, announced after the violence during the UEFA Champions League final in May, would make rioters pay compensation for damage in public spaces. Amnesty International is urging lawmakers to reject it, warning that an amendment could introduce "xenophobic rhetoric" into the debate and fuel "the scapegoating of refugees, migrants, asylum seekers and minorities."
From crowded classrooms in Créteil to burning bins in Barcelona, a student protest has become Europe's biggest test of the autumn — and November 5 will show whether governments can answer it, or whether the streets answer for them.
Sources: Aju Press, 26 Oct 2026; Business News This Week, 26 Oct 2026; NewsRangers, 26 Oct 2026; Amnesty International, 26 Oct 2026; French Interior Ministry figures.