Protests in Europe - also with violence

France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Albania Protests in Europe - also with violence As of: October 25th, 2026 • 1:21 p.m

Not only France - there were protests again in many other European countries. There were renewed clashes with the police in some places. Overall, the authorities are reporting less violence than last weekend.

In many European countries, people have taken to the streets again - some with similar concerns. The organizers are often concerned, among other things, with rising costs of living, high rental costs and corruption. In many places, however, the protest turned violent.

There are currently large demonstrations and riots in many European countries - partly for similar reasons. more

Riots broke out again at the largest demonstrations in France. According to the Interior Ministry, 1,314 people were arrested. The Interior Ministry said 53 police officers were injured. Emergency services took action against 75 attempted arsons and there were 24 lootings.

Hundreds of thousands on the streets: There were major protests again in France. Riots were also reported.

Security forces were on alert after serious riots broke out on the sidelines of demonstrations on October 17. 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were now supposed to be on duty over the weekend, with water cannons and armored vehicles standing by. Shop owners in Paris, for example, had installed chipboard in front of their shop windows to protect them from damage. In several cities there were bans on gatherings in certain zones and curfews.

According to the Interior Ministry, around 410,000 people took part in the nationwide protests yesterday, including around 110,000 in Paris. According to media reports, the CGT trade union association reported around 800,000 participants. The young people who have been demonstrating for weeks for better equipment in schools were joined by other groups to demonstrate against high living costs.

Prime Minister Lecornu seeks responsibility from left-wing extremist activists. But the situation is complex. more

In Italy, tens of thousands of people protested in various cities on Saturday - but there was no major escalation like last weekend in Milan. In many cases, the mostly young people demonstrated peacefully under high security precautions, for example against high costs of living, against rearmament or Israel's policy in the Middle East conflict. In Rome, Bologna and Turin in particular, there were also clashes between police and protesters - for example, demonstrators threw bottles or fireworks. The police used water cannons and tear gas. Hundreds of demonstrators were taken into police custody at various locations.

Italy's youth is protesting again against the high cost of living Tilmann Kleinjung, ARD Rome, tagesthemen, Das Erste, October 24th, 2026 • 11:15 p.m. The protest actions, which were called for via an account called "Movimento 17 ottobre" on social media, apparently did not take place - the name of the account can be read as a reference to the riots in Milan on October 17th. The police had apparently feared riots, several Searches were carried out in northern Italy and a man who was said to be responsible for the account was taken to the station.

Italy's government is taking tough measures after the riots in Milan. But the question remains who protested and why. more

In Albania, demonstrators and security forces clashed violently during renewed anti-government protests in the capital Tirana. Protesters threw stones at the Ministry of Education and attacked the security forces with fireworks, the police used water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas, as journalists from the AFP news agency reported. According to the Ministry of Health, 13 people were injured, including nine demonstrators. Thousands of people took part in the demonstration.

Stones, burning garbage cans: the protest in Albania did not remain peaceful either.

There had been repeated protests since the end of May. The trigger was plans for a luxury hotel project in a coastal nature reserve. The project is linked to US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner and has been heavily criticized for allegations of corruption and a lack of transparency. The protests were subsequently directed against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama and corruption in general. There are also demonstrations against poor study conditions and high tuition fees.

Protests, corruption allegations and investigations are putting Jared Kushner's luxury project in Albania under increasing pressure. more

Portuguese police cleared a housing protest camp in central Lisbon in the early hours of Sunday morning. She used violence against demonstrators and arrested several people, as the Reuters news agency reported. There were minor injuries, but exact numbers are not yet available. The background is the housing crisis in Portugal, which is one of the worst in Europe. Real estate prices have more than doubled since 2017, and rents for new contracts have risen almost as much. Young people are particularly affected.

The demonstrators pitched more than 100 tents after a protest march with thousands of participants on Saturday. The police had already cleared a similar camp in the same location on Tuesday. Left Bloc MP Fabian Figueiredo called the police operation "completely disproportionate" as there was no disruption to public order. The demonstrators are demanding that the government overturn a bill to ease evictions and cap rents for new contracts. According to estimates by the Portuguese Central Bank, there is a shortage of 300,000 apartments across the country. There have been similar protests recently in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain.

Burning barricades: Around 100 demonstrators were arrested in Barcelona.

Hundreds of teenagers and young adults gathered in Barcelona to protest. Young people damaged street furniture, bicycles and motorcycles, looted shops and set garbage containers on fire, reported the Spanish daily newspaper El País and the Catalan television station Betevé, among others. The Catalan police and the municipal police in the capital of Catalonia arrested around 100 demonstrators. About a quarter of those arrested were minors. According to information, more than 220 officers were deployed to bring the situation under control. According to reports, the young people followed a call on social media for an unannounced demonstration in the city center.

With information from dpa, AFP, Reuters and Lisa Weiß, ARD Studio Rome

This topic in the program: tagesschau24 | News | Oct 25, 2026 | 09:00 amtagsschau.de | Protests in Italy – clashes, but no major escalation | 10/25/26 | 9:16 a.m