Student protest unrest spreads across Europe
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Riot police fire tear gas as students gather outside several schools during a protest against education reforms and budget cuts, in Liege on Wednesday. Photo: Jonas Roosens/Belga/AFP via Getty Images
Police and protesters clashed in Liège, Belgium, on Wednesday as student anger over education costs and school conditions grew, echoing massive protests in neighboring France.
Why it matters: The protests are exposing broader anger across Europe over school funding and classroom conditions.
Catch up quick: Protests that began in Paris in mid-September as a localized demonstration by high school students have escalated into a massive nationwide movement, with students, parents and teachers' unions demanding more education funding.
- There have been clashes between French police and protesters in recent days, culminating in a 15-year-old boy's hand being blown off by a police-fired stun grenade. More than 6,500 people — most of them minors —have been arrested since the protests began in France.
- In Belgium, police have made at least 139 arrests in Liège since the protests began Oct. 1.
The big picture: The current wave erupted in France, but education grievances across Europe predate it, with crowded classrooms, teacher shortages, university cuts and soaring education costs fueling protests over government investment in education.
In Greece, students called nationwide school actions for Thursday, according to Euronews, including assemblies, walkouts, demonstrations and potentially occupations.
In Italy, high-school occupations began in Turin and Rome on Monday under the slogan "Let's do as in France."
- Italian students cited underfunding, deteriorating school buildings and rising living costs among grievances they share with French students, and a delegation traveled to Paris in solidarity, ANSA reports.
In Ireland, thousands of university students demonstrated in Dublin earlier this month, demanding lower fees, more higher-education funding and affordable accommodation, per RTÉ.
In Germany, students, teachers, parents and unions rallied in September to demand greater education investment, more teachers and a more equitable school system, according to Tagesschau.
In Austria, student groups are preparing fresh demonstrations in mid-October after the country's university association warned of possible cuts of around €1 billion from the next three-year university budget, ORF reports.
Between the lines: The education unrest comes as several European governments face mounting pressure to rein in deficits while higher borrowing costs make their debts more expensive to service.
- France and Belgium are each running budget deficits of more than 5% of their GDP this year, while Austria's is above 4%, according to European Commission forecasts.
- That squeeze is forcing governments to make difficult choices over public spending.
The bottom line: The protests aren't one coordinated European movement, but students across several countries are mobilizing around their shared concerns.
Go deeper: The global fiscal reckoning is here
