Europe's youth take to the streets - they feel locked out of a promising future

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Europe's youth take to the streets - they feel locked out of a promising futurePublished1 hour agoImage source, GettyByKatya AdlerEurope editor, Reporting fromParisFrom Milan, to Marseille, to Madrid and in so many other cities across Europe, streets have erupted in colourful, passionate protests in recent weeks. While most started peacefully, a large number ended in shocking scenes of violence and looting. There have been allegations of radical left-wing groups sparking riots intentionally and reports of police heavy-handedness.

We've seen thousands rallying in Rome and Florence. Hundreds of thousands across France. In Madrid, an encampment of tents has occupied a city-centre square since late September.

The Details

In Lisbon, tens of thousands of mostly young people marched earlier this month. Tear gas and water cannon were used on protesters in Brussels, after young men dressed in black, their faces covered to hide their identities, threw rocks and firecrackers at police. In Albania, demonstrators alleging government corruption are demanding that their Prime Minister Edi Rama – already 13 years in power – stand down.

This continent feels volatile, socially and politically. I've spent years in Europe reporting from a multitude of demonstrations, both peaceful and violent. I remember well the ardent Catalan pro-independence marches of 2017, the desperation and Molotov cocktails flying through Athens' streets during the 2015 Greek debt crisis, and various outbreaks of violence in France during President Emmanuel Macron's first term in office, sparked by fuel tax and pension reform proposals.

Image source, /Abdul SaboorImage caption, Hundreds of thousands have joined protests in France, some of which turned violentBut this feels different. Protests are exploding simultaneously across Europe and the majority of demonstrators – both peaceful and violent – are young. Among those arrested, there's an eyebrow-raising number of minors.

What Experts Say

Over half of those detained in Barcelona scuffles last weekend were under 18. Minors were among those apprehended by police in Milan after clashes, according to Italy's LaPresse news agency. Europe's governments, for the most part, have been careful to distinguish between looters and rioters on the one hand, and loud but peaceful, legally organised demonstrations on the other.

The latter tend to focus around a particular cause. In the current protest wave, placards and chants mainly take aim at education grievances, social inequalities and the rising cost of living – though each country also comes with its own unique set of complaints. What has triggered this public fury in Europe's youth, seemingly so quickly?

Are all these demonstrations in some way interwoven? And with major European elections on the horizon, how will governments choose to respond – listening to protesters' concerns, or playing the law and order card to win support from older voters?

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.