Youth-led cost-of-living protests spread from France across Europe
The gist
Protests that began over French school conditions have spread to Albania, Italy, Germany and Spain.
Governments are deploying tens of thousands of police as anger over living costs widens.
How it unfolded
- Oct 13, 2026Teachers formed a line to shield students from police in Paris as countrywide protests over education reform reached their fourth week.
- Oct 17, 2026Authorities counted about 550,000 protesters nationwide in France; rioters looted hundreds of shops, with rioting and looting at Place de la République and Les Halles in Paris.
- Oct 24, 2026Protests spread to Albania and Italy. In Tirana crowds rallied outside the Ministry of Education demanding lower tuition and the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, with at least five arrests; in Rome, Turin and Florence demonstrators clashed with police.