Europe in the Streets: France, Italy, Albania and Spain Erupt in Protest

A wave of protest has swept across Europe, with crowds out in France, Italy, Albania, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Greece over housing costs, education and pensions. The movement has been largely youth-led, and it's now reshaping politics in more than one country.

France saw its biggest weekend of marches yet, with more than 400,000 people turning out on Saturday and roughly 1,000 people detained, according to CNN and NPR.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent 500 extra soldiers into central Milan and introduced tougher penalties for minors, after a week of clashes and looting. Saturday's Milan march itself stayed peaceful, though Rome and Turin saw brief clashes. Police in Italy detained 371 people across eight cities.

Albania, Spain and Portugal

In Albania, students joined a push to oust Prime Minister Edi Rama, with police firing tear gas in Tirana as students, teachers and artists rallied against alleged corruption, Newsweek reports.

In Spain and Portugal, housing marches have grown after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her Madrid apartment. Rising rents and strained pension systems have brought crowds into the streets of both Madrid and Lisbon.

The Serbia connection

The same anger at entrenched leadership has already produced a dramatic result in Serbia, where a youth-led student movement beat the long-ruling party at the ballot box. It's the clearest sign yet that this wave of unrest is starting to translate into real political change, not just street pressure.