Weekend protests spread across Europe; French police arrest 135
Anti-government protests spread from France to Milan, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana. French police made 135 arrests, and police in Italy raided homes.
The story in focus
Large demonstrations took place across Europe on Saturday 24 October 2026, from France to Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Albania. The demonstrations covered a wide range of issues, including education, corruption, pensions, housing, and the cost of living. French police made 135 arrests, and police in Italy raided 150 homes, including those of 51 minors.
- French police made 135 arrests during protests on Saturday 24 October 2026.
- Police in Italy raided 150 homes, including those of 51 minors, in Milan and other cities.
- French authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and soldiers, according to The Guardian.
- Demonstrations were also held in Madrid over pensions and in Lisbon over housing.
- Tirana saw water cannons, government buildings set on fire, and 2,500 police on patrol, per NPR.
France
Protests took place across France for a fourth weekend, with high school students, trade unions and others demanding more government funding for schools and action on housing and the cost of living. French authorities increased policing by 20%, mobilising 70,000 officers and soldiers, and courts overturned protest bans in Marseille and Limoges at the last minute.
Police made 135 arrests in France, The Guardian reported on 24 October 2026. The outlet also said authorities closed 24 Paris metro stations and that several cities had bans on unauthorised demonstrations.
Italy, Spain and Portugal
In Italy, police raided 150 homes in Milan and other cities, including those of 51 minors, before protests organised by the 17 October Movement in Milan, Turin, Rome, Bologna and Naples. In Milan, soldiers joined about 5,000 police and other security personnel, and the march ended peacefully. Brief clashes occurred in Rome and Turin.
In Madrid, thousands marched peacefully to demand that public pensions not be changed ahead of a snap election, when the Socialists criticised the opposition over pensions. In Lisbon, protesters demanded affordable housing and criticised recent government measures that ease the cap on yearly rent increases.
Albania
In Tirana, riot police used water cannons on large groups of protesters, some of whom set government buildings on fire and threw projectiles, according to NPR. About 2,500 officers patrolled the streets. Students demanded lower tuition fees and less corruption in education, and some joined calls for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama. Rama said his government was preparing a response to the students' demands.
Across which cities did the weekend protests spread?
Milan, Rome, Turin, Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana, alongside protests across France. Issues ranged from education and anti-war demands to pensions, housing and the cost of living, The Guardian and NPR reported.
Sources & further reading
- Soldiers guard center of Milan as thousands of protesters march in cities across Europe ↗NPR
- Thousands march in Paris and other French cities as protests take place across Europe – Europe live ↗The Guardian
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