Violent clashes in Italy as demonstrators protest the cost of living
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Oct. 31, 2026, 7:39 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 31, 2026, 5:35 PM EDT
Massive protests were sweeping Europe on Saturday as part of demonstrations driven by the cost of living and deficient public services, with police bracing for potential violence after recent looting and riots.
Germany, France, Spain and Italy are among the nations where demonstrations were being held on Halloween following a recent wave of Gen Z-led marches across the continent.
French officials said they would deploy 70,000 police
French officials said they would deploy 70,000 police on Saturday following some of the worst rioting in decades, which erupted in cities across the country after student protests about the state of education evolved into wider demonstrations about the cost of living and social security.
As the demonstrations began Saturday afternoon in Paris, protesters were pictured holding a banner that read: “We do not need tear gas for our future to be blurry.”
Videos vetted by NBC News show large crowds and fires burning in Marseille.
Some 320,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday, including 70,000 in Paris, according to the French Interior Ministry. Authorities reported more than 560 arrests nationwide by Saturday night.
While the protests have been largely peaceful, police
While the protests have been largely peaceful, police arrested 1,300 people last week after an estimated 410,000 took to the streets in cities across the country. Stores, public buildings and businesses have also been damaged since the protests erupted last month.
“Everyone is on deck to ensure an extremely firm response to any trouble,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said at a news conference earlier this week as he set out security arrangements, adding there was “a very high risk” of unrest.
Measures introduced last week to protect shops would be reinforced, he said, and demonstrations would not be permitted “in city centers, where there is a risk of public disorder.”
The U.S. Embassy in France advised travelers
The U.S. Embassy in France advised travelers to avoid areas where demonstrations or large gatherings are planned.
The protests in France began after Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron launched budget talks for 2027. Students in the country, angry over a declining education system and the high cost of living, then took to the streets.
They were later joined by unions and the Yellow Vests, a grassroots movement that emerged in 2018 as a revolt against fuel taxes.
Those demonstrations appear to have inspired similar protests
Those demonstrations appear to have inspired similar protests across the continent, with protests erupting in Belgium, Spain, Italy and elsewhere.
In Germany there were demonstrations organized by the campaign group Gen Z regelt (Gen Z takes charge) in more than 30 cities Saturday, including the capital Berlin and the financial hub Frankfurt.
The groups demand spending on schools, climate protection and housing, and are against plans to return to mandatory military service.
We all have those images from France
“We all have those images from France in our minds — looting, burning houses, burning police vehicles, and attacks on police officers,” said Roman Poseck, interior minister for the state of Hesse, whose capital is Frankfurt.
Protesters gathered in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, as police said an additional 1,500 officers would be deployed throughout the city.
While most people rallied peacefully, some protests turned violent on Saturday night.
In downtown Frankfurt, some rioters smashed several storefronts and stole goods from inside. They also stole weapons from a gun store, which police were able to retrieve later. Some rioters also threw Molotov cocktails at police after pummeling them with stones and bottles earlier in the day, Frankfurt police said on X.
Elsewhere in Europe, a huge encampment of tents
Elsewhere in Europe, a huge encampment of tents has occupied a square in Madrid since late last month, and thousands of people in Portugal have taken to the streets in the city of Lisbon. Tear gas and water cannons were also used on black-clad protesters in Brussels.
In the United Kingdom, hundreds of demonstrators are expected to gather outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Saturday and risk arrest in support of Palestine Action, a protest group banned by the British government.
In Serbia, student-led activism also helped unseat the country’s long-time leader at the ballot box.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government also said it would deploy 500 army troops alongside the police in Milan until the end of the year after groups of masked protesters looted stores in the fashion capital and elsewhere and threw projectiles at police earlier this month.
Tens of thousands of people again took to the streets of Rome on Friday and other cities and towns across the country.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful, but an NBC News crew saw police use a water cannon on protesters and groups of police charging to disperse protesters.
Italian police were out in force with riot
Italian police were out in force with riot brigades, drones and helicopters visible in the skies above the capital.
“We have been completely screwed by the fact that the wages do not keep up on inflation and the wages in general do not keep up with the cost of living,” said Luca, a 20-year-old medical student who asked to have his last name withheld out of fear of repercussions from law enforcement.
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Source: www.nbcnews.com
