Thousands of people rallied across Italy at the weekend despite a government crackdown, and some briefly broke into the Colosseum in Rome. Police said they arrested nine people and briefly detained 371 others, including 110 minors. Italy's Culture Ministry reported no damage or injuries at the site. Clashes broke out in central Rome, where officers used water cannons. The protests form part of a wider wave of youth-led demonstrations across Europe over housing, living costs and education.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has described planned student protests on Remembrance Day as disgraceful. Organisers from the High School Anti-Capitalists say the date is coincidental and the demonstrations will be peaceful. Joyce said the protests should not go ahead on November 11, a day for remembering Australians who died in war. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek urged the protests be moved to a Saturday. Veteran Heston Russell also urged students to show maturity and respect for the day.
Police in France arrested nearly 1,000 people on Saturday after protests against the cost of living turned violent in several cities. Interior minister Laurent Nunez said officers faced an extremely high level of violence from black-clad ultra-left extremists. Riot police fired tear gas in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and other cities. Two people were seriously injured, including a man in Toulouse. Organisers and authorities gave differing estimates of between 410,000 and 800,000 marchers nationwide.
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French police have made nearly 1,000 arrests after clashes broke out in Paris and other cities during nationwide protests over school funding and rising living costs, the government says. The Interior Ministry put the turnout at 410,000, while the CGT union estimated nearly 800,000. Violence erupted at the end of a Paris march, where police used tear gas and water cannons. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the arrest figure was expected to rise. The unrest is testing President Emmanuel Macron's authority ahead of May's election.
Young voters who helped elect Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are increasingly disappointed with his government. Some say they feel complicit in backing him. Critics point to a free school meals program that has left thousands of recipients ill, and to a weakened rupiah. Protests have also erupted over the government's response to forest fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan. The government says it is evaluating policies and achieving results, and Mr Prabowo says he is proud of what has been delivered in two years.
Students across Kalimantan and Sumatra have taken to the streets to demand that the government be held accountable for wildfires and the toxic haze covering the region. Indonesia often faces wildfires during the dry season, but these fires are the most intense in more than a decade. Farmers use slash-and-burn methods to clear land for agriculture, including palm oil, and Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil. The fires have been made worse by these practices.
French police have banned protests in parts of Paris from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on Friday, as France prepares for more demonstrations after days of street violence. The ban covers key landmarks, including the Elysee presidential palace and the Louvre Museum. President Emmanuel Macron appeared to criticise foreign leaders for using the unrest for political gain, without naming them. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said 2,500 people were taken into custody, with 174 jailed. Rattled financial markets are watching the crisis closely.
The French government has summoned six online platforms, including TikTok and eBay, as it seeks to contain widespread rioting and looting. Digital affairs minister Anne Le Hananff met social media firms on Tuesday and urged them to moderate content, including livestreams, to avoid violent material and posts encouraging people to break the curfew. Separately, platforms including Vinted, eBay, Amazon, LeBonCoin, Meta and TikTok agreed to forward reports to investigators and monitor ads for goods stolen during the protests, according to minister Serge Papin. Police have arrested more than 2,400 people, according to authorities.
France has announced partial curfews in Paris and other cities after weekend cost-of-living protests turned violent. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu did not rule out a state of emergency after the interior minister said police had lost control. More than 2,500 people have been arrested and at least 3,000 shops damaged, police say. The Louvre museum closed on Monday after a small group of protesters blocked its entrance. Organisers have called for a new round of protests next Saturday.
Protests have spread across six European countries, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets. France has imposed curfews in parts of Paris and Lille after some rallies turned violent, with hundreds arrested. The unrest began with teachers and students protesting staffing shortages in Paris on September 17, and has since widened to cost-of-living concerns and public sector cuts. In Spain, snap elections are set for November 29 after housing reforms were rejected. Analysts warn the discontent could spread to more countries in the coming weeks.
A synagogue in Paris was vandalised and several shops, including some Jewish-owned businesses, were looted as violent protests spread across France. Jewish leaders have called for President Emmanuel Macron to declare a state of emergency. Macron said prefects, working with mayors, could ban some gatherings. Protests have also spread to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and Albania, with demonstrators demanding lower living costs, higher wages and better public services. The French government has made some concessions, but demonstrations have continued.
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the 'unbridled' violence during nationwide protests, which saw 2,400 arrests and widespread damage. Macron addressed the nation, distinguishing between legitimate protesters and those responsible for destruction. The riots, fuelled by cost-of-living concerns, have placed pressure on Macron ahead of upcoming elections. Over 1,000 police officers were injured, and businesses across France suffered significant losses. A historic town hall in Limoges was deliberately torched, and protests turned violent in cities including Paris, Marseille, and Lyon.
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the 'unbridled' violence during nationwide protests, which saw 2,400 arrests and widespread damage. Macron addressed the nation, distinguishing between legitimate protesters and those responsible for destruction. The riots, fuelled by cost-of-living concerns, have placed pressure on Macron ahead of upcoming elections. Over 1,000 police officers were injured, and businesses across France suffered significant losses. A historic town hall in Limoges was deliberately torched, and protests turned violent in cities including Paris, Marseille, and Lyon.
About 1,800 people have been arrested after violent protests across France, which officials say caused widespread damage. Paris police reported a record 855 arrests. A historic town hall in Limoges was set on fire, and shops were looted in several cities. The protests were called against high inflation and the cost of living. The French government and far-right leader Marine Le Pen blamed ultra-left groups for the violence, while far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon urged protesters to stay away from looting.
Violent fringe groups joined nationwide French protests over education and the cost of living, setting fire to Limoges City Hall and looting boutiques in several cities. Police used water cannon and tear gas in Paris. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said about 1,200 people had been arrested. Hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, according to organisers and officials. President Emmanuel Macron vowed to punish those responsible for the attacks, which came months before a presidential election.
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Protesters clashed with police across France during nationwide rallies over education and the cost of living on Saturday. In Paris, police fired a water cannon and tear gas after hundreds of masked protesters confronted them. The tourist office in Lyon was set on fire, and windows at the offices of two French broadcasters in Paris were broken. Protesters also rammed the door of a mayor's office in Marseille. The unrest adds pressure on President Emmanuel Macron's government as the country heads towards a presidential election.
Demonstrators have spent almost two weeks in New Delhi demanding the resignation of India's election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. The government has responded with arrests of journalists, an internet shutdown and detentions of demonstrators. Protests centre on a voter roll revision that has removed more than 130 million names, which critics say disproportionately affects migrants, elderly voters and the poor. Youth group the Cockroach Janta Party has become a prominent force in the rallies. Police have also detained two of its leaders after they jumped a fence into Jantar Mantar.
Protesters in New Delhi are refusing to back down as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a petition alleging irregularities in a nationwide revision of voter lists. Opposition parties and youth movement supporters want Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar to resign over the removal of more than 130 million names. The Election Commission denies wrongdoing. Police have closed metro stations, deployed thousands of security personnel and banned Jantar Mantar as a protest site. Several detained activists have since been released.
A Parisian mayor received treatment after trying to shield students from riot police during violent nationwide protests over school conditions. Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis, was seen receiving eye drops while standing between police and masked students. Protests began in marginalised suburbs over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and unequal opportunities, spreading across France with over 6,000 arrests and hundreds injured.
An 87-year-old Spanish woman whose eviction sparked nationwide protests has died. Maricarmen Abascal was hospitalised after being evicted from her Madrid apartment, where she had lived for 70 years. Protesters in Madrid's Sol square held a minute of silence after her death, and trade unions announced a nationwide general strike over housing issues. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called an early election for November 29 after failing to pass measures to address the country's housing crisis.
