More than 2,400 people detained at protests in France — The Independent
More than 2,400 people were detained in France during mass protests against the deterioration of public services. According to authorities, nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers were injured, and one demonstrator died after suffering cardiac arrest in Paris. As The Independent reports, around 550,000 people took to the streets across the country on Saturday, including 110,000 in Paris.
Clashes in France and Italy
Organizers of the French demonstrations estimated the number of participants at about 800,000. Most protests were peaceful, but individual groups attacked public buildings, looted luxury stores and supermarkets, and attacked police officers and service vehicles. In Paris, law enforcement used tear gas, while protesters set piles of bicycles on fire. French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm.
In Milan, police clashed on Sunday with participants in a protest against the high cost of living and the decline of public services. Several hundred hooded people, according to Reuters sources, smashed shop windows and set rubbish bins on fire near Piazza del Duomo. Police used water cannons and tear gas, and more than 60 people were detained for questioning. After clashes in several cities in northern Italy on Saturday, 28 protesters were arrested. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence and announced a government meeting on the situation.
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Housing and costs in Spain and Portugal
In Portugal, tens of thousands of people marched through central Lisbon to protest the rising cost of living and the housing crisis. The country's largest trade union, CGTP, which called the demonstration, said that many tens of thousands of people gathered on one of the capital's main avenues. Participants say that low wages are not keeping pace with housing costs and the rising cost of living. Inflation in Portugal stood at 3.6% in September, while fuel prices rose by 15% over the year.
In Spain, protests intensified after the eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal from the apartment in Madrid where she had lived for 70 years. After investment company Urbagestion bought the property, the company sought to raise her rent by 230%. The woman died in early October, two weeks after the eviction. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez last month called an early general election for November 29 after parliament rejected government proposals on the housing crisis.
