‘A spark suddenly ignites’: Europe’s Gen Z takes to the streets as economies fail to deliver jobs, schools fail to deliver education

Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis are fueling an autumn of protests in Europe.

Crowds have protested for weeks in major cities, with some demonstrations marked by arrests, looting, injuries and violence across France, Italy and Albania.

In Spain and Portugal, tent camps have sprung up to protest unaffordable housing.

Young Europeans are experiencing “a strong sense of uncertainty and a lack of control,” said María Silvestre, professor of sociology at the University of Deusto in Spain.

“And when specific situations come together, a spark suddenly ignites that is capable of channeling that discontent and driving people into the streets.” Cities have turned into battlefields as top EU economies, including France, Italy and Spain, approach pivotal elections, while far-right parties have made electoral gains in Germany and could do so elsewhere.

It also comes as Europe faces a critical moment in its support for Ukraine, with President Donald Trump making overtures to President Vladimir Putin even as Russia is blamed for increasingly frequent arson attacks, cyberattacks and other acts of sabotage in NATO countries.

Right-wing politicians have seized on the chaos.

While protests in France have appeared broad-based, Trump portrayed immigrants as responsible for the destruction , writing Monday on his Truth Social platform: “The migrants have taken over France.

They must CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST!” Many of the protests have been fueled by frustrated young people.

Other actors, including black-clad, masked agitators, have fomented violence, but French authorities and police have not blamed immigrants.

Here’s a look at what’s driving the unrest: Students say education resources are dwindling In France, which has a centuries-old tradition of popular protest, high schoolers have staged blockades and demonstrations for more than three weeks, demanding more resources for schools they describe as understaffed and dilapidated, especially in lower-income neighborhoods.

The protests broadened as France’s CGT labor union and other activists joined in while students paused for a fall break.

The movement now includes demands over rising living costs and public services.

Despite hundreds of thousands of people marching peacefully, the weekend’s unrest led to 2,400 arrests and serious disturbances in parts of France, including looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux.