Milan march turns violent

A march against rising living costs in central Milan on Saturday began peacefully but ended with masked rioters throwing stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police and setting fire to barricades built from bar tables.

• Police used water cannon and teargas to disperse the crowds
• A carabinieri car was severely damaged in the aftermath
• At least two police officers were injured, according to LaPresse
• About 50 demonstrators were detained, including many minors

Meloni and Sala react

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said demonstrating is a right, accusing hooligans of exploiting the protests to sow chaos and hold cities hostage.

Lisbon tent camp over housing

In Lisbon, protesters demanding action on the housing crisis set up a tent camp in Rossio Square, reminiscent of the camp established in Madrid three weeks earlier. Hundreds rallied at night in the square, in the touristic heart of the city, after a march that drew thousands nationwide.

Among them was Elena Costa, a 46-year-old social assistant, who said the tax-paying Portuguese social class is losing rights, including the right to housing. "So we are all here together to try to explain that we are suffocating," she said.

Antonio Margado, a 52-year-old engineer, criticised the centre-right government for the total liberalisation of rents, saying owners are protected more and more while tenants who need a house are those who are protected less and less.

The picture the protesters point to is stark:

• Official data show Portuguese housing prices rose by 124% between 2015 and 2024, roughly twice as fast as the EU average
• Around a quarter of Portugal's more than 11 million inhabitants live in the capital's greater metropolitan area
• The Lisbon camp amplified a protest that started in the northern city of Porto, where dozens of tents had already been set up

At an earlier Lisbon protest called by the CGTP union, demonstrators called for better public services, pensions and wages as well as measures against soaring housing costs.

Montenegro's warning

Portuguese prime minister Luís Montenegro said the government understood that people wanted to express outrage at possible omissions in public policies, but he warned rivals against importing into Portugal climates of instability and protest that, in fact, have no support in Portuguese society.

The wave of protest follows months of unrest elsewhere in Europe. In Spain, anger over rents boiled over last month after an 87-year-old woman was evicted because she was unable to pay a 230% rent increase sought by an investment firm that had bought her flat. The case of the late María del Carmen Abascal led to street demonstrations and a protest camp in central Madrid, and to emergency housing measures proposed by the socialist-led government.

When rightwing and far-right parties voted those measures down in congress, prime minister Pedro Sánchez responded by announcing a snap general election for the end of November.

In France, anger over teacher absences and shabby school buildings in poor northern suburbs of Paris widened into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards. On Saturday, more than 1,200 arrests were made there after protesters backing high school students clashed with police, leaving buildings ablaze and shops looted.

Albania also saw violent demonstrations this week, where protesters angry over university conditions and high tuition fees demanded the resignation of prime minister Edi Rama. On Saturday, demonstrators threw rocks, molotov cocktails, metal objects and pyrotechnic devices at police and torched cars and litter bins as blazing barricades.

Police there fired rubber bullets on demonstrators for the first time since the protests began, and a court, banks and a post office were set on fire or severely damaged. The unrest follows months of anti-government protests initially sparked by a controversial resort development linked to the family of the US president, Donald Trump.