By Abdullahi Mahi
I’ve watched young people across Europe, mostly my own generation, Gen Z, take to the streets, and I understand why. They are protesting against rising living costs and poor school conditions. I believe protests work when they have two things: a human face and a clear demand. Looking at Italy, France and Spain, I can see why both matter.
In my home country, Italy, students have occupied schools in Turin and Rome, calling for better funding and repairs to crumbling buildings (Freedom Press, 2026). On 17 October, protests in Milan, Bologna and Turin ended in clashes with police (MaltaToday, 2026). The students know what they want, but there is no single person representing them, and I believe this makes it harder for their demands to be heard. As someone from Milan, I understand their frustration. We are told to be patient while prices rise and schools continue to deteriorate.
In France, more than 250,000 people protested over school conditions in early October (UnHerd, 2026). During a protest in Lens, a 15-year-old boy lost a hand when a police grenade exploded. The circumstances remain disputed, and the government temporarily suspended the use of these grenades at student demonstrations (Armenpress, 2026). Prime Minister Lecornu promised reforms. In my view, that student gave the protests a human face. Their demand for better schools is clear, but I find it deeply worrying that a young person suffered such a serious injury while protesting for his own education. Meanwhile, Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN), accused the far left of exploiting the protests (RTL, 2026). My worry is that the students’ demands will be forgotten in these political arguments.
In Spain, Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted from her Madrid home on 23 September after an investment company bought her building. Campaigners say the new owner wanted to raise her rent by almost 300%. Her story became a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, and thousands protested for affordable housing. Parliament rejected the government’s housing measures, and on 5 October Pedro Sánchez called an election for 29 November (SBS, 2026). Maricarmen died on 7 October (Al Jazeera, 2026). I find her story heartbreaking, because nobody should lose their home at that age. Her eviction gave the protests a human face, and their demand for affordable housing was clear. But an election does not mean the housing crisis has been solved.
These protests show me that when governments do not listen, people take to the streets and to social media. Europe’s leaders can answer us with policy or with police lines. We have already told them which we prefer.
References
Al Jazeera (2026) ‘Woman whose eviction sparked Spain housing protests dies aged 87’, 7 October. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/7/spanish-unions-call-general-strike-over-housing-before-snap-election (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
Armenpress (2026) ‘France halts use of stun grenades after boy’s hand blown off in student protests’, 7 October. Available at: https://armenpress.am/en/article/1262201 (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
Freedom Press (2026) ‘Gen Z on the barricades’, 12 October. Available at: https://freedompress.org.uk/2026/10/12/gen-z-on-the-barricades/ (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
MaltaToday (2026) ‘Protests sweep across Europe as young people demand change’, 18 October. Available at: https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/europe/145108/protests_sweep_across_europe_as_young_people_demand_change (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
RTL (2026) ‘“La France du chaos” derrière Jean-Luc Mélenchon : Jordan Bardella attaque la mobilisation du 17 octobre’, 16 October. Available at: https://www.rtl.fr/actu/politique/la-france-du-chaos-derriere-jean-luc-melenchon-jordan-bardella-attaque-la-mobilisation-du-17-octobre-7900679136 (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
SBS (2026) ‘Spain’s prime minister calls early election after housing crisis triggers mass protests’, 5 October. Available at: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/pedro-sanchez-spain-calls-early-election/cvnco65bn (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
UnHerd (2026) ‘French student protests could provoke a wider Gen-Z revolt’, 9 October. Available at: https://unherd.com/newsroom/french-student-protests-could-provoke-a-wider-gen-z-revolt/ (Accessed: 20 October 2026).
When I saw the numbers regarding tuition fees, my situation was completely different. My local university did not experience that kind of financial pressure.