Cost of living, education, and housing fuel second week of protests in Europe - Sarmad

European cities witnessed several protests on Saturday against the backdrop of rising living costs and crises in housing, education, and corruption, from Milan and Rome to Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon, while clashes and violence erupted in the Albanian capital, Tirana.

In Italy, authorities deployed large numbers of police officers and soldiers, in an effort that largely succeeded in preventing a recurrence of the violence and looting seen in similar protests last week.

The demonstration in Milan remained peaceful, while limited clashes broke out between police and protesters in Rome and Turin.

In Milan, thousands of young people marched through the streets amid a heavy military presence and with luxury store fronts boarded up with wooden planks, although most shops had reopened by late afternoon, according to Italian media.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced a package of measures, including the deployment of 500 additional soldiers to Milan and stricter penalties for minors, whom police said accounted for a large proportion of participants in last week’s violence. Media reported that police detained several minors in Milan as a precautionary measure.