The cost of living and the consequences of rising energy prices are fueling social mobilization far beyond the borders of France, and scenes of protests, some of which are turning violent, are becoming increasingly frequent across Europe, writes the French newspaper Le Monde.
In Italy, a general strike is scheduled for November 20, while similar actions are planned for November 11 in Spain and Portugal.
In Brussels, the European Commission, departing from its usual practice of not commenting on the internal affairs of European Union (EU) member states, made a statement yesterday regarding the protests in France held last Saturday, specifically addressing the violence that marked them.
The Commission condemned the looting as unacceptable and reminded Paris that the right to peaceful protest “must be protected.”
In the European Parliament, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and far-right factions were quick to politicize the issue of the protests.
On Monday evening in Strasbourg, they organized a debate under a title that sparked controversy in parliament: “France, Italy, Belgium: anti-democratic violence and destruction carried out by far-left groups.”
In fact, the cost of living and concerns over the consequences of rising energy prices are leading to mobilization far beyond France, especially as several countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Poland, and Greece, are facing highly significant elections in the coming months, in an atmosphere of growing support for the far right, writes Le Monde.
During a meeting in Brussels on October 15, European heads of state and government held extensive discussions on how to reduce costs for their citizens, keeping in mind the protests of the “Yellow Vests” movement that swept France in the autumn of 2018.
In Rome, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni convened an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Monday to assess the situation following riots and looting over the weekend.
On Sunday, she condemned via social media the “groups of thugs” who are “setting cities on fire,” including Milan, where clashes occurred between youths and police. A total of 271 rioters were arrested, 220 of whom were minors. Public broadcaster RAI described these scenes as “urban guerrilla warfare,” and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini announced that the government would “deploy an additional 500 soldiers to defend Milan.”
The most dramatic clashes in Milan took place at Piazza del Duomo. Young people, wearing masks or hoods, threw trash cans, iron rods, and electric scooters at riot police, who responded with tear gas. Numerous shops in the surrounding streets were also vandalized.
The city’s chamber of commerce estimated the damage—which includes both material destruction and lost profits for business owners—at one million euros. Over the weekend, clashes also occurred in Turin and Bologna, partly spurred by calls from student collectives.
In Italy, since the beginning of October, many high schools have gone on strike, especially in Turin and Rome. Students are protesting the poor condition of some school buildings and the policies of Giorgia Meloni’s government, accusing the prime minister of failing to stop the rise in energy prices and prioritizing funding for the war in Ukraine over investment in education.
Additionally, a decree proposed by the Minister of Education to limit the number of foreign students in classrooms and ban the wearing of face-covering veils has sparked anger among many young people, especially in far-left circles, the French newspaper notes.
The atmosphere is also very tense in the south of the country, where transporters, farmers, and fishermen have blocked various roads and toll booths on highways in Calabria and Campania over the past four days, primarily protesting against high fuel prices.
Discontent culminated last Saturday in Rome, where the Italian General Confederation of Labour, the country’s largest union, gathered nearly 100,000 people at a protest. Opposition leaders Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte also attended the event. The Confederation’s General Secretary Maurizio Landini called for a general strike on November 20.
In Belgium, several hundred people took to the streets of Brussels and Liège on Saturday. The number of participants was lower than at previous demonstrations, and there was violence.
Police in Brussels and Liège reported nearly 200 arrests, including more than 25 minors. In the capital, demonstrators set up barricades, threw objects, and set bicycles and scooters on fire near the Gare du Midi station. In the Marolles district, cars were set on fire, and windows were smashed at the headquarters of the Socialist Party in Brussels.
In Spain, where hundreds of tents are set up at Puerta del Sol square in the heart of Madrid and in squares in other cities across the country, protests have so far remained mostly peaceful. Demonstrators, who have been camping since September 26, are demanding measures against the dizzying rise in rents and the lack of housing, and these issues have become the main topic of the snap general elections scheduled for November 29.
The protest camps have led to serious tensions with regional authorities. On Monday, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative president of the Madrid region, drew a parallel with the violence seen in France and Italy. “What they want is only violence and disturbance, because the anti-democratic left in this country refuses to accept the will of the voters,” Díaz Ayuso stated.
Teachers in Madrid have been on strike since October 14, demanding higher salaries and a reduction in the number of students per class. On Monday morning, about 200 of them blocked a highway in the capital. This mobilization could further intensify on November 11, given that the main Spanish trade union confederations have called for a general strike, the first such action in the past fourteen years.
Le Monde writes that the housing crisis is also fueling mobilization in Portugal. On Sunday, activists in Lisbon called for a “general Iberian strike” on November 11, in coordination with the movement in Spain. By Monday, dozens of tents had been set up at Rossio Square in the heart of Lisbon, as well as at Dom João I Square in the city of Porto. These camps are the latest in a series of actions that culminated on Saturday with demonstrations in Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra, organized by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers—the main trade union organization in the country.
Tens of thousands of people participated in a protest march through the capital, demanding higher wages and pensions in response to the rising cost of living. Discontent has been fueled by the sharp rise in real estate prices, which have more than doubled since 2017. Protesters are also opposing a reform proposed by the center-right government led by Luís Montenegro. Among other things, the reform aims to speed up the eviction of tenants who are late with rent payments. The gatherings were mostly peaceful.
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