World

Not just France: protests over the cost of living have spread to Spain, Portugal and Italy

World
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Not just France: protests over the cost of living have spread to Spain, Portugal and Italy

Фото: REUTERS

Protests took place in Barcelona, Lisbon and several cities in Italy, some of which involved clashes with police and damage to property. 128 people were arrested in Barcelona, 25 in Lisbon, and in Portugal, the dismantling of protest camps also led to arrests and injuries.

This is reported by the Associated Press .

Police have arrested 128 people following overnight riots during an unauthorized rally in Barcelona on October 25. According to Catalan police, 73 of those arrested are minors. Their cases will be transferred to the juvenile prosecutor’s office.

The arrests were made on suspicion of vandalism, damage to public property, and looting. Videos have been circulating online showing groups of young people smashing shops in the city center.

Fifteen police officers were injured during the riots. The authorities deployed more than 220 regional and municipal police officers to restore order.

The head of the Catalan police, Silvia Cata, said the movement was disorganized and calls to participate in the action were spread via the Internet. The head of the Catalan government, Salvador Illa, condemned the violence and stressed that the right to protest does not justify attacks, intimidation and destruction of property.

In Lisbon, police dismantled a protest camp in the city center and detained 25 people. Officers used batons. Before the operation, activists were warned that more than 100 tents would be dismantled if they did not remove them voluntarily.

All detainees were later released. Their court appearance was scheduled for October 26.

In Porto, six more people were detained during a similar operation to dismantle around 50 tents. Police reported seven minor injuries among police and protesters during operations in Lisbon and Porto. Meanwhile, the activist group Casa para Viver (House for Life) reported 60 injuries and called for a demonstration outside parliament on October 27.

Protests in Portugal are linked to rising housing and rental costs. According to estimates by the Bank of Portugal, the country lacks about 300,000 housing units.

Activists are also opposing government plans to simplify the eviction process for tenants and lift rent caps for new contracts, a bill that has already passed its first reading in parliament.

Demonstrations against the high cost of living took place in several major Italian cities. In Milan, a march by thousands of young people took place amid a heavy military and police presence, while in Rome and Turin there were brief clashes with law enforcement.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni announced the deployment of 500 additional soldiers to Milan and tougher penalties for minors involved in violent protests. The additional troops join hundreds of soldiers already deployed in the city, supporting some 5,000 police and other security personnel.

Authorities have stepped up security measures, including using drones for surveillance, checks at train stations and online monitoring. Some shops in Milan’s fashion district have boarded up their windows.

In Rome, authorities tightened controls in certain areas and closed some shopping streets to visitors. A small group of protesters tried to force their way into the Colosseum , but were stopped by security guards.

In a separate anti-war march in central Rome, protesters clashed with police near Piazza della Repubblica. The protesters later retreated after water cannons were used. Meanwhile, several hundred students held a peaceful demonstration to emphasize that they were not involved in the unrest.

Recall that in France on October 24, 135 people were detained during nationwide protests, and the authorities deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes to maintain order . Amid the protests, sparked by dissatisfaction with the rising cost of living and the funding of public services, the “yellow vest” movement called for new demonstrations on October 31.

Earlier, on the evening of October 23, in Prague, several dozen protesters tried to force their way into the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament . The police stopped the attempt to break in, and there were no arrests after the incident.

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