Youth-led gatherings spreading across Europe this autumn ended on Saturday evening with incidents in several countries. Clashes with police, looting of shops and the throwing of Molotov cocktails were reported in France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Albania.
The grievances are not the same in every country, but protesters are primarily demanding better education, affordable housing and a lower cost of living. Most of the marches began peacefully; by the end, however, groups with covered faces attacked police and property.
In France, where the wave of protests began, around 320,000 people took to the streets in Paris, Marseille, Grenoble, Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse. More than 770 people were arrested. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into attempted murder of persons holding public authority after incendiary devices were thrown at a group of around 15 gendarmes and police officers.
Nevertheless, the situation in France was calmer compared with that of October 17. That night, authorities arrested 2,600 people and up to 3,000 shops were looted, in one of the most serious episodes of urban unrest in the country’s recent history.
In Germany, more than 100,000 people marched on Saturday in over 30 cities, responding to a call from the “Gen Z regelt” movement (“Gen Z sorts it out”). Protesters demanded education reforms and relief from the cost of living.
Frankfurt experienced the most serious clashes. Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck said hooded individuals damaged 17 shops, looted five of them and threw Molotov cocktails. More than 100 of the 1,300 police officers deployed were injured. Fifty-four suspects aged between 13 and 29 were arrested. Poseck said he was shocked by what he had seen and that the situation could not continue in this way.
According to the minister, most of those arrested are German citizens. He added that, in the police’s assessment, law enforcement faced between 1,000 and 1,500 violent individuals, mainly of migrant origin. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt also blamed violent left-wing groups and “troublemakers from the migrant community,” calling for harsh penalties.
There were also incidents in Cologne, where police used water cannon, as well as in Berlin. The “Gen Z regelt” movement publicly distanced itself from violence in any form.
In Switzerland, hundreds of people gathered on Saturday evening in Zurich and Basel for unauthorized demonstrations under the slogan “We’ve had enough in Switzerland too.” Both gatherings ended in clashes.
In Zurich, police dispersed the crowd with water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets after protesters threw fireworks, bottles and stones. A patrol car was damaged, while garbage bins and electric bicycles were set on fire. The unrest began in District 4 (Kreis 4), where barricades were erected and fires were lit.
Police said that around 150 people gathered in central Basel at approximately 9:00 p.m. Shop windows were smashed, facades were covered in graffiti, and bins and bicycles were set on fire. Problems were also reported in Geneva.
In Tirana, protesters called for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down and accused the government of corruption. Although the gathering was largely peaceful, masked youths threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police and set garbage bins on fire at the end of the protest.
The Interior Ministry announced that 350 people have been injured so far, including 200 police officers. It also said that 269 minors have been arrested.
The Albanian protest movement began in May with what became known as the “Flamingo Revolution,” against a plan to build a luxury resort on the island of Sazan, a project backed by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. On October 13, students joined the movement, opposing high fees, a lack of financial aid, university conditions and poor employment prospects. Rama has rejected calls for his resignation and blamed Iran and Russia for instigating the protests.
In Lisbon, following a march attended by thousands against the housing crisis, police forcibly removed protesters from Rossio Square at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. A smaller camp in Porto was also dispersed by force. Protesters are demanding the withdrawal of a bill that facilitates the eviction of tenants and removes rent restrictions for new contracts.
This autumn, protests have taken place in a number of European countries, from France, Spain and Italy to Belgium, Austria and Serbia. At their center is a generation of young people who feel excluded from the housing market, disappointed with the education system and uncertain about the future.
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