Protests over schools, housing and living costs spread across Europe

Summary

Anger over public services and living costs is spreading across Europe. In France, student anger over crumbling classrooms and teacher shortages was visible in wheelie bins stacked against school entrances, and in Spain a tent camp grew in the capital as residents protested soaring housing costs. Similar scenes have appeared in Belgium, Italy and Portugal, and clashes have convulsed the Albanian capital Tirana. The Guardian reports that hamstrung governments seem to have no answer to the public's demands, making further discontent likely. France 24 reports that youth-driven protests have also appeared in Serbia and Greece, that the spark in France was deteriorating conditions in high schools and universities, that wages are not keeping up with inflation, and that corruption and democratic backsliding have sparked uproar in Albania and Serbia.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   21 Oct 2026, 09:00 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that protests over crumbling classrooms, teacher shortages, housing costs and government failures are spreading across Europe, from France and Spain to Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Albania, and asks whether they will lead to real political change.

2. France 24

   22 Oct 2026, 08:12 UTCSource ↗

   France 24 reports that youth-driven protests have appeared in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania, Serbia and Greece, with the housing crisis central in Spain and Portugal and corruption and democratic backsliding behind the uproar in Albania and Serbia.