Europe Is in a Bad Way
The inability to address these problems leaves governments unable to ensure that everyday infrastructure and services — from roads and education to healthcare — function properly.
Jakarta (ANTARA) — What began as unrest in France has now spread across Europe. Protests that were once limited to secondary school pupils demonstrating over conditions at their schools have turned into criticism of how democracy works.
That is what is happening in Europe today, particularly in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Albania and Serbia.
It began with complaints from French secondary school pupils about deteriorating school infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, excessive timetables, and shortages of teachers and school funding.
The pupils are also demanding that the government overhaul the admissions system for public universities, which they consider unfair.
Some argue that heavy-handed French police action against demonstrators prompted solidarity from many groups, including trade unions, farmers and political interest groups. The issues have since widened to include sensitive concerns such as rising prices and economic hardship.
The demonstrations grew into a mass movement, reaching a peak on Saturday, 17 October 2026, when nearly one million people protested across France. The unrest was also marked by looting.
French President Emmanuel Macron then urged the public to remain calm. At the same time, his government accused the far left and criminal groups of inciting looting in Paris, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon, Lille and Marseille.
The wave of protests has further worsened France’s fiscal and social crises. France is the European Union’s second-largest economy after Germany.
Macron’s government is on the verge of approving austerity measures, which are seen as placing an even greater burden on people already hit by rising prices, particularly fuel costs.
People are also angry about poor public services and increasingly strained household budgets. At the same time, they believe France’s political institutions offer little hope of change.
People in several other European countries, including Spain, are experiencing a situation similar to that in France.
Protests in Spain were triggered by the eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner from the home in Madrid where she had lived for 70 years.
She was evicted because she could not afford the rent after the landlord raised it by 230 per cent. She died two weeks after being forced out of her home.