Rising social unrest and protests across Europe

A wave of protests, strikes, and demonstrations is taking place across Europe due to rising fuel costs, school conditions, the decline in public services, and the housing crisis. As streets in France, Spain, Italy, and Albania have heated up, thousands of people have been detained and public buildings have suffered damage.

Rising fuel costs, the state of schools, diminishing public services, and the housing crisis have laid the groundwork for an increase in protests across Europe. Weeks of large-scale demonstrations in France, Italy, and Albania have led to detentions, looting, injuries, and violence. In Spain and Portugal, meanwhile, tent camps have been set up against unaffordable home rents and housing costs.

In France, high school students have organized blockades and demonstrations for more than three weeks demanding more resources for schools. Weekend unrest nationwide led to the detention of 2,400 people and serious incidents in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Limoges; in Limoges, the 19th-century city hall was damaged in a fire. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Saturday's violence.

In Spain's capital Madrid, primary and secondary school teachers launched an indefinite strike, while Puerta del Sol square was covered with tents protesting housing costs. In Italy, thousands demonstrated under the name "Italia in Piazza" demanding better employment, healthcare, education, housing, and higher wages; 271 people were detained in clashes in Turin, Bologna, and Milan. In Albania's capital Tirana, students and the "Flamingo" movement held anti-government protests lasting over a week, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over corruption and development disputes.