Living costs, housing, job uncertainty fuel European youth anger

Countries across Europe have been swept by a wave of protests by young people angry at the spiralling cost of living who have little trust in traditional institutions.

Protesters in Germany walk during a demonstration organised by "GenZ regelt!" on October 31, 2026.

While local grievances have fuelled the fire, the movements that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets of France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Germany at the weekend are all linked by shared continent-wide issues such as sky-high housing costs, poor pay and the climate crisis.

School and university students have found themselves at the front line of these protests.

The spark was lit in mid-September, when French high school students took to the streets to demand better and more facilities, and an end to an opaque university admissions system.

"It's a European movement but France served as the catalyst," said Sylvain Boulouque, a historian of social movements.

Source: Citizen Digital