Monday, October 26, 2026

Italy: Thousands take to the streets as protests turn violent in several cities

Demonstration in Milan, 24 October 2026 AP Photo

By Marina Stoimenova

Published on 24/10/2026 - EURONEWS

Clashes erupted between protesters and police across several Italian cities on Saturday, with officers deploying water cannons and tear gas as demonstrations turned violent. Thousands took to the streets of Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna and Florence, with protesters throwing bottles, stones and firecr

Rome: Clashes broke out on Saturday evening as protesters marched through the Italian capital. Near Largo di Santa Susanna, demonstrators confronted a police cordon, throwing bottles and setting off firecrackers. Several street signs were also knocked down. Police responded with water cannons.

Milan: Two separate demonstrations involving students, activist groups and pro-Palestinian protesters merged into a single large procession heading towards Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, home to the Polytechnic University of Milan.

Earlier, police blocked a march that had set off from the square towards the city centre, forcing demonstrators back towards Corso Venezia. Some participants subsequently joined a second procession that had started at the Piccolo Teatro.

Around 10,000 people were reportedly taking part in the combined march, which was expected to conclude at Piazza Leonardo da Vinci.

Turin: Tensions escalated as protesters clashed with police, prompting officers to deploy tear gas. After marching through the Aurora neighbourhood, demonstrators reached the Mosca Bridge, where police blocked their route towards the city centre.

Some protesters threw stones, bottles and smoke bombs at officers, who responded with tear gas. The procession later resumed along Via Cigna.

Bologna: Emergency services were called to Via Marconi following clashes between demonstrators and police. Paramedics treated an injured young protester at the scene.

Florence: Protesters threw firecrackers and glass bottles at police as tensions rose during a march through the city. Near the Santa Trinità Bridge, at the junction with Via Tornabuoni, some demonstrators attempted to break through a riot police cordon.

Italian authorities have deployed hundreds of additional soldiers and stepped up security across major cities on Saturday as a new wave of demonstrations raises fears of further violence following last weekend's clashes between protesters and police.

Protests are planned in Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples and several other cities, with demonstrators voicing anger over rising living costs, low wages, military spending and government policies.

Milan is on particularly high alert after violent unrest on 17 and 18 October, when clashes with police, vandalism and looting caused widespread damage in the city centre.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has ordered the deployment of an additional 500 soldiers to Milan, reinforcing the security forces already stationed in the city.

Authorities have also introduced drone surveillance, railway station checks and rapid-response units to prevent further disorder.

Police carry out more than 150 searches ahead of protests

Italian police carried out more than 150 searches in Milan, Monza and around 20 other cities on Saturday morning as part of investigations into last weekend's violence.

The searches reportedly targeted individuals suspected of involvement in the unrest, including students and minors.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has suggested that the previous disturbances were coordinated, while authorities are investigating messages exchanged in online groups ahead of the latest demonstrations.

The newly formed "17 October Movement," which has been linked to the recent mobilisation, announced that previously advertised protest locations had been cancelled and that new meeting points would be communicated shortly before the marches.

The decision has complicated security preparations, with police warning of the possibility of spontaneous gatherings in several parts of the country.

Demonstrations spread from Rome to Turin and Naples

In Rome, protesters gathered for a national demonstration under the slogan "Keep Italy out of the war", opposing military involvement and increased defence spending.

In Turin, students and activist groups have called for a march against rearmament, rising fuel prices and the cost of living, while also demanding better access to housing, education and healthcare.

In Naples, demonstrators mobilised against economic hardship and rising prices.

Meanwhile, thousands were expected to march in Castel Volturno, near Naples, against plans to establish a migrant detention and repatriation centre. Religious organisations, charities, migrant groups and agricultural workers are among those supporting the protest.

Meloni government under pressure after violent unrest

The latest mobilisation comes a week after violent clashes in Milan and Turin prompted the government to announce tougher security measures.

Police said around 2,000 young people took part in the earlier unrest, which resulted in 45 arrests, including 34 minors.

Meloni has condemned the violence and pledged a tougher response to attacks on police officers and businesses.

The unrest has also renewed debate over economic inequality, social exclusion and the government's approach to public order.

Authorities remain concerned that Saturday's demonstrations could bring together student movements, trade unions and more radical activist groups, increasing the risk of further confrontations.

The protests are taking place alongside demonstrations elsewhere in Europe, including France, Spain, Portugal and Albania, where campaigners are mobilising over issues ranging from living costs to public services and government policies.

Thousands march across Italy as protests bring isolated clashes with police

By Fortunato Pinto

Published on 25/10/2026 - EURONEWS

Demonstrations took place in Italy on Saturday over the rising cost of living. No serious clashes were reported, with nine people arrested nationwide.

Thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday across Italy's main cities to protest over a range of issues, including the rising cost of living, Giorgia Meloni's government and the wars in the Middle East.

The protests were mostly peaceful, although some moments of tension were reported towards the evening in Turin, Florence, Bologna and Rome.

After last weekend's violence, the government enacted a significant new security operation, with police officers and soldiers patrolling city centres.

In Milan, 500 soldiers were also deployed in response to attacks on shops last Saturday.

In Florence, as in Turin, Milan and Rome, protesters did not organise a single main march, but instead small groups gathered in different parts of the city and later joined up. They repeatedly tried to reach the city centres but were blocked by security forces.

Protesters enter the Colosseum

In Rome, tensions flared when a small group of protesters broke away from the main march on Via Cavour and headed for the Colosseum.

There, they managed to enter the Flavian Amphitheatre, chanting slogans and holding up placards. The authorities later escorted them out of the historical site as the march continued through the streets of the city.

Later on, a young demonstrator also stood in front of a police water cannon truck, which continued for a couple of metres before the young man almost ended up beneath it. Officers then forcefully dragged him away, videos circulating on social media show.

In Florence, tensions also spiked when demonstrators tried to cross the Santa Trìnita bridge, but officers maintained the security cordon and used batons as protesters pushed to break through the barrier.

In Bologna, a march was prevented from continuing towards Via Marconi and Via Reno, with bottles and other objects hurled at security forces, who responded with a water cannon and tear gas.

One person was taken to hospital after being struck by police officers.

In Milan, the situation was calmer on Saturday; at least three marches joined together and moved through the streets around the city centre. There were verbal clashes between protesters and some far-right activists.

Nine arrests made

By the end of the day, nine people had been arrested and 87 were reported to the authorities, according to the Department of Public Security. A further 371 people were taken to police stations for checks, including 110 minors and 69 foreign nationals.

In Milan, 30-year-old Youssef Siher was also detained and placed under investigation on suspicion of aggravated incitement to commit a crime. He is alleged to have been behind the "17 October Movement," a group through which thousands of people are said to have shared information about taking part in last weekend's protests.

Meloni praises security operation

In a post on social media on Saturday evening, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised those involved in the efforts to manage the demonstrations.

"The right to demonstrate must always be guaranteed, just as the right of citizens to live in their cities in safety," Meloni said.

"Safety must be guaranteed for everyone. For those who want to protest peacefully, for those who work and for those who want to live in their city without fear. Without leaving room for those who seek only confrontation and violence," she added.

128 arrested after night of unrest and looting in Barcelona

By Christina Thykjaer

Published on 25/10/2026 EURONEWS

Protesters threw stones and other heavy objects at officers, whilst several groups erected barricades, set fire to rubbish bins and smashed shop windows.

Barcelona city centre saw a night of chaos on Saturday as groups of young people clashed with police and shops were looted.

The unrest, which began late in the afternoon around the Plaça de Catalunya, led to 128 arrests, roughly a quarter of them minors, according to authorities. Fifteen police officers were also injured during the night.

The gathering, promoted on social media under the slogan "Instituts Indignats," aimed to bring the French youth movement "Lycéens Indignés" to the Catalan capital.

At its peak, the demonstration drew around 600 people, per Spanish media reports.

The disturbances started at around 6 pm, when several groups of young people, many dressed in black and wearing hoods, began vandalising street furniture. Riot police then moved in, prompting demonstrators to scatter through the adjoining streets, where clashes continued.

Protesters threw stones and other heavy objects at officers, whilst several groups erected barricades, set fire to rubbish bins and smashed shop windows. Police responded with charges to disperse participants as they worked to regain control of the area.

According to La Vanguardia, around 14 shops were looted. Clashes also caused damage to motorbikes, bicycles and bus shelters.

The violence forced numerous businesses to close and led the Guardia Urbana to restrict access to the Plaça de Catalunya. Train services stopping at Plaça Catalunya station were also temporarily halted.

Authorities condemn violence

The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, condemned the incidents and announced that the city council would take part in legal proceedings to seek accountability for the damage caused.

"This will not be left as it is. We will go all the way," Collboni warned, adding that there could be consequences for the parents or legal guardians of the minors involved.

The president of the government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, also condemned the unrest and defended the police response.

"Protesting is a democratic right," he said, although he stressed that violence cannot be justified as part of that right.

For her part, the Catalan interior minister, Núria Parlon, described the incidents as "gratuitous violence and vandalism" and insisted that those responsible were not defending any legitimate cause.

Both distanced the unrest from the housing rights encampment that has been set up in the Plaça de Catalunya for several weeks.

Protests held across Czechia after government pushes ahead to curtail public media financing

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By Albin Sybera in Prague October 26, 2026

Tens of thousands attended anti-government protests held across Czechia on October 24 after Prime Minister Andrej Babiš' government unexpectedly pushed ahead with a vote to curtail public media financing by scrapping license fees.

The government-backed bill aims to replace license fees with a direct state budget, and has been a source of controversy since first tabled earlier this year, not least because it involves trimming the budget of Czech Television (CT) and Czech Radio (CRo).

A number of protests were held already against the changes to public media financing including including the mass rally on March 21 when around 200,000-250,000 Czechs rallied at the Letná plateau in Prague against the policies of the populist Babiš-led cabinet and his Ano party, which they fear threaten democratic standards in the country.

“We won’t give up the media” and “Media should not belong to politicians” read the banners carried by the protesters on October 24 in Brno, where about 4,000 protesters gathered. The rally was organised by the Million Moments for Democracy platform, which was behind the 2018-2019 mass protests against the previous cabinet led by Babiš.

“It is not just a technicality. It is about having media which would report freely, control those in power and provide verified information to all without a difference in the future as well,” the statement calling for the rally reads, while one of the organisers, Marija Wazi, warned that government-backed changes would trim the public media budget by CZK1.4bn a year (€57.5mn), CRo reported.

The largest rally was held in the capital Prague on October 25, which filled the historic Old Town square. It took place in response to the Babiš ruling coalition approving the draft bill in the first reading in the small hours (04:36) of October 24, which infuriated demonstrators who saw the unusual parliamentary session hour as a government effort to minimise public rage.

CT and CRo announced a strike to be held on November 3, while the Millions Moments for Democracy announced another mass rally for November 15.

Babiš accused the liberal Pirate Party and other parties campaigning against the decision of “scarring people, dividing society and inciting hatred”, claiming on his Facebook page that “it does not make sense that fees are mandatory for everyone”.

“Today everyone pays for the service they want to watch such as Netflix, Oneplay, HBO etc.,” he argued, dismissing claims the move is designed to tighten political control over the public broadcasters.

Media researchers reiterated their earlier warnings, however, that making public media dependent on the state budget would in fact lead to the increased dependency of the broadcaster on political pressures.

The move also alarmed international press institutions, including the International Press Institute and the European Broadcasting Union, and could send Czechia on a collision course with the EU for failing to secure financial sustainability of public service media and failing to comply with European Media Freedom Act.

‘Generational rage’ drives young Europeans to fight to be heard

Rome (AFP) – From blockaded schools in Rome to tent camps in Madrid and street protests in France, young people across Europe are turning their anger on a political class they say is not listening.

Issued on: 23/10/2026 - RFI

Student protest movements across Europe have condemned heavy-handed police action. © PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP

Their demands vary, but they are united in wanting to make their often marginalised voices heard, sometimes even with radical methods in the face of heavy-handed policing.

"We are fighting and taking our future in our hands," said Damiano Fusa, 18, a student at Rome's Cavour high school, the first to be occupied in a wave of student takeovers that has spread across the Italian capital.

"We're not represented by anyone," Fusa told AFP, criticising both Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard-right coalition and previous centre-left governments for cutting education funding and ignoring young people's needs.

Students are demanding action on soaring rents, more spending on education instead of defence and more job opportunities for young people © Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP

Hundreds of thousands of high school and university students have rallied in France, Italy, Spain and other European countries in recent weeks, with some protests descending into violence.

Governments have largely focused on restoring order, with France imposing partial curfews and Italy deploying soldiers, responses protesters say obscure their demands and could make things even worse.

"Politicians are responding in ways that are completely disconnected from reality, completely absurd," said Luis Marques, a 19-year-old psychology student in Lisbon.

Students are demanding action on soaring rents, more spending on education instead of defence and more job opportunities for young people.

But experts say the unrest reflects a broader sense among many young Europeans that they have been shut out of politics and sidelined.

"These young people do not just feel like they do not have a place in politics, they feel they are not being heard at all," said Geoffrey Pleyers, president of the International Sociological Association.

Rosario Forlenza, a professor at Rome's Luiss University, called it a "European generational revolt" rooted in a social and economic crisis "to which politicians cannot give a substantive response".

"Young people are a minority of the population that is shrinking and so their social, economic, cultural, political and electoral weight is becoming ever more irrelevant," he said.

'Inspiring other people'

The anger has been particularly palpable in France and Italy, where fresh demonstrations are planned for Saturday.

Many protesters in Europe have taken inspiration from the nationwide movement led by high school students in France © Thibaud MORITZ / AFP

"People are very angry, they've had enough. Working hard all day and still not being able to fill up their shopping cart," a 20-year-old student who gave his name as Eddy told AFP at a protest in Bordeaux last weekend.

"Will smashing everything change anything? I think it can be a jolt to wake up the politicians. We don't know what else to do to make ourselves heard. The ballot box? We don't believe in it anymore," he said.

Protest movements across Europe are increasingly drawing inspiration from one another, and even looking to youth-led movements further afield in places like Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

In Italy, one student slogan last week urged protesters to "do as in France", while shared symbols, including the Jolly Roger pirate flag, have become common across youth rallies.

Marcos Navarro, 22, a laboratory quality-control technician from Madrid, said protesters across Europe were meeting to share tactics.

"They've come to ask us: 'How did you do it? How do you organise yourselves?' We've already exchanged ideas," said Navarro, who has been camping with hundreds of others in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol square since September to protest housing costs and evictions.

Ayla Herrero, a 26-year-old anthropologist helping at the camp's infirmary, said it was "inspiring for us to know that we're inspiring other people, that it doesn't just stay here".

'Not acceptable'

Concern about the rise in military spending in Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine has also been a rallying point.

Nikos Mavroudis, a 17-year-old high school student in Athens' Exarchia neighbourhood, said the money could be better spent on his school, where chunks of plaster are falling.

"It's not acceptable for classrooms to be dangerous," said Mavroudis, who hopes to become a cook and plans to move elsewhere in Europe to "countries where things are better".

Young protesters across Europe say they want their concerns heard © Kiran RIDLEY / AFP

At Rome's occupied Morgagni high school, where students have barricaded entrances with desks, protesters pointed to the crumbling infrastructure as evidence of neglect.

An 18-year-old, who did not want to be named, said the media and politicians in Italy were focusing too heavily on looting and vandalism by some protesters.

"It turns hatred against the students who are victims of this system," he said.

Asked about the violence, Sabrina Brizzola, 24, coordinator of the Italian University Students' Union, said organisations like hers should "organise and channel this generational rage".

"We have shared concerns, even if our ways of protesting differ," she said.

Protests sweep across Europe from France to Albania, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

By Anna Kirchheim

Published on 24/10/2026 EURONEWS

Violence in earlier protests prompted authorities to take additional security measures, with massive deployments of police and even soldiers observed across several European capitals.

Protests over a range of issues have taken place in cities across Europe, from Milan and Madrid to Lisbon and Tirana. Demonstrators are taking to the streets over pensions, housing, education, corruption and opposition to war, reflecting a diverse mix of grievances across the continent.

Despite precautions, bans and heavy policing the protests led to violent clashes in several cities in France - around 2,400 people have been arrested, while nearly 1000 members of the security forces were injured, as well 100 protesters and residents in Paris alone.

Albania sees clashes between police and students, artists and opposition parties

Thousands of people rallied for a fresh anti-government protest in the Albanian capital Tirana on Saturday, with police firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. In the latest of several clashes between police and protesters since mid-October, government buildings were attacked and dozens of demonstrators were detained. Authorities said that more than 300 protestors and police have been injured.

Riot police stand in formation behind a burning garbage can during an anti-government rally, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli) Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Clashes erupted between protesters and police across several Italian cities

Thousands took to the streets in Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples, Bologna and Florence with protester throwing bottles, stones and firecrackers.

Italian anti-riot police watch antiwar activists demonstrating against rearmament and Italy's involvement in wars in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Italian police said in a statement they had carried out nine arrests and briefly detained 371 people during protests in eight cities on Saturday. Of the people who were detained and taken to police stations, 110 were minors, the statement added.

People attend a protest in Rome, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Valentina Stefanelli/LaPresse via AP) LaPresse via AP

In Spain and Portugal, protesters marched for retirement rights and affordable housing

In Madrid the protesters' key demands include linking pension increases to actual inflation, raising the minimum pension to match the minimum wage, closing the gender pension gap and protecting the public pension system from privatisation.

Pensioners and supporters march to defend their retirement rights in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

In Portugal affordable housing is the main demand

French unions and protest groups call fresh rallies and nationwide strike

French unions and protest groups have called for fresh demonstrations on 31 October and a nationwide strike on 5 November, seeking to build on a movement over wages, living costs and public services after a massive police deployment helped contain unrest during Saturday’s marches.

Issued on: 26/10/2026 - RFI

Protesters hold a French flag amid clashes during demonstration organised by labour unions in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in France, October 24, 2026. © Abdul Saboor / Reuters

Around 410,000 people took part in rallies across France, according to the Interior Ministry. Authorities deployed 70,000 police and other security personnel in an operation that helped avert a repeat of the widespread looting and vandalism seen on 17 October.

The movement, which began with student protests last month, has drawn support from a broader range of groups. Organisers hope that growing frustration will sustain pressure on the government as it holds talks with unions and student representatives.

“We see an aggregation of anger,” Murielle Guilbert, co-leader of the left-wing Solidaires trade union federation, told BFM TV on Sunday.

She said grievances among students, workers, firefighters and other groups were increasingly converging.

“We call on people to take to the streets next Saturday.”

A widening protest movement

The SUD Education teaching union said it would join the 31 October demonstration, while the CGT, one of France’s largest trade unions, said it would decide during the week whether to participate.

Labour leaders also urged support for a nationwide strike on 5 November, arguing that the discontent now extends well beyond the students who first took to the streets.

The Yellow Vests movement has called for mass rallies next Saturday, including sit-ins outside town halls and the National Assembly.

The grassroots movement emerged in 2018 in opposition to fuel taxes before developing into a wider challenge to President Emmanuel Macron over living standards and economic policy.

“There is anger in this country. It's growing in schools and universities, on roundabouts, in neighbourhoods, on farms and in workplaces,” activist Azelma Sigaux told reporters.

The references to roundabouts recall the traffic junctions that became gathering points for Yellow Vest protesters during their original campaign.

The government has opened discussions with unions and student representatives in an effort to ease tensions. Protest leaders, however, say the measures proposed so far fall short of what is needed.

“We have received no response at all from this government,” Guilbert said.

Macron has limited room to respond. During the earlier Yellow Vest crisis, he was able to offer financial concessions to address anger over household costs.

Today, strained public finances make further spending commitments harder, while his centrist camp lacks the parliamentary majority needed to pass major legislation on its own. His presidency is also approaching its end, adding to the political constraints.

Pressure on police resources

Saturday’s security operation reduced the scale of disorder, although sporadic clashes broke out in several cities, including Paris and Marseille.

The Interior Ministry said 1,314 people were arrested – around half the number recorded the previous weekend. About 50 police officers were injured, compared with more than 1,000 a week earlier, according to the ministry.

Police unions warned on Sunday that staffing levels would make it difficult to sustain such a large deployment over an extended period.

With another round of demonstrations planned for Saturday and a nationwide strike the following week, the authorities face the challenge of maintaining security while talks continue over the protesters’ demands.

Unrest has also surfaced elsewhere in Europe, although the demonstrations reflect different national grievances.

In Brussels on Saturday, Belgian police used tear gas and pepper spray during clashes with anti-government demonstrators.

In Albania, a protest movement that began peacefully at the end of May turned violent this month. Several Italian cities have also seen skirmishes for a second consecutive week.

(with newswires)

Government says protests across France 'went well' despite nearly 1,000 arrests

Hundreds of thousands marched across France on Saturday protesting the rising cost of living and a lack of government resources for essential services like schools. While demonstrations in Paris started peacefully they ended with a heavy security response, with almost 1,000 arrested across the country.

Issued on: 25/10/2026

By: FRANCE 24

Video by: Daniel Whittington/Gavin LEE

Cover image: Protesters march during a demonstration against the rising cost of living in Paris, Saturday, October 24, 2026. © Thibault Camus, AP
12:15

Clashes broke out Saturday in Paris and other French cities amid demonstrations held a week after others that degenerated into street violence and prompted a robust security backlash as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to restore order.

Police arrested nearly 1,000 people as officers were confronted with "an extremely elevated level of violence" from black-clad "ultra-left" extremists, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.

In Paris, 142 people were arrested, 120 of whom were taken into police custody, according to the local police prefecture.

Riot police squads fired tear gas at protesters in the capital as well as in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes.

Two people were "seriously" injured, Nuñez said: one man in Toulouse, who reportedly had fingers blown off, and another person in Clermont-Ferrand. He did not give details of either case.

Authorities had deployed 70,000 security forces across the country for the new marches, called to protest the cost of living.

The violence came a week after rioting that saw public buildings vandalised, hundreds of shops looted and 2,700 people arrested, casting a pall over a country that goes to the polls in six months to choose a successor to Macron after 10 years.

Nuñez said Saturday's outcome was more "positive" than a week ago, with more police on the streets acting more rapidly, conducting more pre-demonstration checks and better protecting businesses.

There was nevertheless widespread anger at the government over a protest crackdown viewed as an assault on the right to protest.
Police battle 'rioters'

Saturday's demonstrations drew between 410,000 and 800,000 people across the country, according to differing estimates from the authorities and the organising CGT union.

The main Paris march had between 110,000 attendees, according to the interior ministry, and 250,000, according to organisers.

Paris: Protest starts at Porte d'Italie, after last-minute change to the route

Macron's government has ordered police to prevent protesters reaching city centres, where shops are concentrated, and in Paris and some other cities, partial curfews were imposed in certain urban zones. The French president had ordered non-union demonstrations be banned as "illegitimate".

In Paris, where many shops had boarded up windows to prevent looting, and the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay museums shut for the day, the main demonstration passed off largely peacefully.

READ MOREFrance to deploy 70,000 police officers as students call for fresh protests Saturday

The march had been pushed to the capital's southeast rim under a last-minute order by authorities.

Afterwards, though, clashes broke out as the crowd was dispersing. Nuñez said the confrontations lasted two hours and involved "500 rioters" at the back of the march.

Protests continue while police fire tear gas at demonstrators

AFP journalists saw police charge several times and vigorously use tear gas and batons against some, mostly young, protesters.

"The police started moving towards everyone, telling them to get down and back off. They were just taking people down, you know, beating protesters," one demonstrator bleeding from a baton blow to his face, who gave his first name as David, told AFP.
Ultra-right vs ultra-left

In the western city of Nantes, thousands of protesters broke through lines of police firing tear gas and a water cannon to reach the city centre, an AFP journalist there witnessed.

Emma, 23, marching in the northwest city of Rennes, said she was angry at "everything happening at the moment", denouncing the bans on demonstrations and the "repression" of the high school student protests.

Marching in the rain at the head of the protest in the northern city of Lille, 47-year-old Delphine insisted: "Neither the president, nor the weather will stop me from demonstrating."

In Lyon, police used tear gas to disperse around 1,000 people gathered in the south of the city.

"If they prohibit protests then that means we are heading more and more towards a regime that is fascist, that is dictatorial," said one 20-year-old protester in Lyon, who gave only his first name, Silem.

In the southern cities of Cannes and Montpellier, far-right activists came out onto the streets seeking confrontations with "ultra-left militants", in what authorities said was an unprecedented development.

There was looting on the sidelines of the marches in Marseille and Grenoble, said police.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Vests, who staged disruptive protests against Macron eight years ago, called for more demonstrations on October 31 for "the freedom to protest".

Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who marched in the Paris rally, said Macron "is going to understand that this is going to repeat itself every week".
Protest against Le Pen's party

Tensions were heightened by a rally in the city of Orleans by far-right leader Marine Le Pen's National Rally party to kick off her campaign for the presidential election.

Thousands of counter-protesters chanting anti-fascist slogans marched in the city. Police put their number at 13,000 while organisers said twice as many participated.

The unrest across France highlighted the febrile political atmosphere ahead of the vote, in which Le Pen leads in surveys.

Inflation in France, particularly affecting the cost of fuel, has surged since the start of the Middle East war in February.

Protests have also been taking place in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal over different issues, yet with some overlap on inflation and education problems. Italy has mobilised 500 troops to Milan after street violence there.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Demonstrators wounded as police break up Lisbon and Porto housing protest camps

By Manuel Ribeiro & euronews

Published on 25/10/2026

The ongoing confrontation between police and protesters demanding affordable housing turned violent overnight. Police again moved in against protest camps in Lisbon and Porto in the early hours of Sunday, with several arrests and injuries reported.

Protesters chanted "smells like a dictatorship" overnight into Sunday as police hit desmonstrators with batons in both the capital Lisbon and and the city of Porto, in an operation to dismantle tents set up to protest against skyrocketing housing prices.

In a message posted on X, the police said officers had "intervened early this morning... to put an end to these illegal encampments".

"Once dialogue ended, the operation led to 31 arrests for disobedience," the police added.

A spokeswoman for the protest camp in Porto told the Portuguese news agency Lusa there were 37 minor injuries and two arrests.

"It is the third night in which we are being repressed with a method of total intimidation that one would never expect in a democratic country governed by the rule of law," said Catarina dos Santos, speaking to reporters.

The Public Security Police (PSP) had warned earlier in the afternoon that it would not allow tents to remain overnight in Rossio.

Protest camps in main public squares a point of friction for weeks

The presence of tents in Rossio Square and Praça D. João I (in Porto) have been the main points of friction with the police during the past weeks of protest. As night fell, the demonstrators decided by majority to put up tents and stay overnight.

Around 130 tents were erected in Rossio Square in Lisbon.

The operation to remove the tents began at around 1 am in both cities, after protesters started to notice what they called "disproportionate" police reinforcement, with canine units gathering in the squares in both locations.

"There were at least 20 crowd-control dogs, clearly agitated, and and a number of weapons pointed at us, and if this is not intimidating and serious, I don't know what is," lamented Catarina Santos, quoted by Lusa.

Shortly before 2 am on Sunday, the police contingent had both squares cordoned off and began moving in against the demonstrators, who had formed a human chain. Police used batons, while firecrackers were heard causing considerable confusion. In Praça D. João I, bystanders criticised the PSP's conduct and began to sing "Grândola Vila Morena", a song associated with the revolution of the 25 April that ended decades of dictatorship in 1974.

The "clean-up" operation in the squares was swift: the tents were removed immediately by the authorities and the protesters, who say they will return, dispersed to nearby squares.

Protesters demand changes in new tenancy law and a cap on rents

The Lisbon and Porto camp movements are calling for measures such as the reversal of the tenancy law, an end to evictions of people with no housing alternative, limits on the purchase of property by real-estate funds, the rehabilitation of vacant buildings and a ceiling on rents.

Large crowds had turned out the previous day for peaceful demonstrations, accusing the government of failing to act to tackle Portugal's housing crisis

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment