From Milan, to Marseille, to Madrid and in so many other cities across Europe, streets have erupted in colourful, passionate protests in recent weeks.
asserted
streets → erupt → weeks
While most started peacefully, a large number ended in shocking scenes of violence and looting.
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number → start → violence
There have been allegations of radical left-wing groups sparking riots intentionally and reports of police heavy-handedness.
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groups → spark → handedness
We've seen thousands rallying in Rome and Florence.
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thousands → see → Rome
In Madrid, an encampment of tents has occupied a city-centre square since late September.
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encampment → occupy → September
In Lisbon, tens of thousands of mostly young people marched earlier this month.
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thousands → march → people
Tear gas and water cannon were used on protesters in Brussels, after young men dressed in black, their faces covered to hide their identities, threw rocks and firecrackers at police.
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faces → use → police
In Albania, demonstrators alleging government corruption are demanding that their Prime Minister Edi Rama – already 13 years in power – stand down.
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Minister → allege → power
This continent feels volatile, socially and politically.
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continent → feel → ?
I've spent years in Europe reporting from a multitude of demonstrations, both peaceful and violent.
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I → spend → demonstrations
I remember well the ardent Catalan pro-independence marches of 2017, the desperation and Molotov cocktails flying through Athens' streets during the 2015 Greek debt crisis, and various outbreaks of violence in France during President Emmanuel Macron's first term in office, sparked by fuel tax and pension reform proposals.
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I → remember → proposals
But this feels different.
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this → feel → ?
Protests are exploding simultaneously across Europe and the majority of demonstrators – both peaceful and violent – are young.
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majority → explode → demonstrators
Over half of those detained in Barcelona scuffles last weekend were under 18.
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half → detain → 18
Minors were among those apprehended by police in Milan after clashes, according to Italy's LaPresse news agency.
uncertain
Minors → apprehend → agency
Europe's governments, for the most part, have been careful to distinguish between looters and rioters on the one hand, and loud but peaceful, legally organised demonstrations on the other.
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governments → distinguish → other
The latter tend to focus around a particular cause.
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latter → tend → cause
In the current protest wave, placards and chants mainly take aim at education grievances, social inequalities and the rising cost of living – though each country also comes with its own unique set of complaints.
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country → take → complaints
What has triggered this public fury in Europe's youth, seemingly so quickly?
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What → trigger → youth
And with major European elections on the horizon, how will governments choose to respond – listening to protesters' concerns, or playing the law and order card to win support from older voters?
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governments → choose → voters
Students have taken to the streets in France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Serbia and Albania – a more than 1,000-mile span of the continent.
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Students → take → continent
Demonstrations are often organised in an ad hoc way via TikTok or Instagram.
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Demonstrations → organise → TikTok
Belgium's interior minister has complained about what he calls the "TikTokisation" of protests.
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he → complain → protests
Student unions play a role in organising marches, but they are also inspired by the actions of peers in other countries, even other continents.
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they → play → countries
Think of the so-called Cockroach student movement in India – a Gen Z social and political protest movement that emerged in May this year, starting with criticism of the Indian education system.
uncertain
that → think → system
France, where the current wave of student protests kicked off in late September, fuelled by student complaints over staff shortages and dilapidated buildings,
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wave → kick → shortages
There's a saying in neighbouring Belgium: whenever it pours in Paris, it at least drizzles in Brussels.
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it → be → Brussels
The Belgian capital and the town of Liège have also now seen weeks of protesting youngsters.
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capital → see → youngsters
In Barcelona this weekend, students were encouraged to demonstrate under the social media hashtag #InstitutsIndignats, echoing the French slogan, Lycées Indignés (Outraged High Schools).
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students → encourage → slogan
In Athens, 17-year-old Greek school pupil Yiannis Papanikolaou told AFP: "School buildings are terrible and poorly maintained…
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buildings → tell → AFP
I think something might change, because of what France is doing, France will spur Greece."
uncertain
France → think → Greece
Stagnation and affordability fears
There's a continent-wide sense of economic malaise felt by large numbers of young people – and it goes far beyond education.
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it → be → education
They worry about the environment, and fret that AI will rob them of job opportunities.
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AI → worry → opportunities
They fear the spiralling cost of living could prevent them from finishing their education and stop them buying or renting a home big enough to start a family.
uncertain
them → fear → family
In Madrid and in Lisbon, frustration has focused on the prohibitive price tag attached to housing.
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frustration → focus → housing
Portuguese Instagram-linked campaigns stated "enough is enough" and called on people to take to the streets as peers had done in Spain.
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peers → link → Spain
In Lisbon, Carolina Cruz, 26, a PhD student and biology researcher, said she faces losing her home as her rental contract nears expiry.
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contract → say → expiry
"I'm the first person in my family to enter a doctoral programme and even with all the studying I've done, I still can't make it," she told Reuters.
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she → enter → Reuters
It's an anger shared by 22-year-old Riccardo, a protester in Italy's financial capital, Milan.
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It → share → capital
"Even if we don't manage to throw the country into chaos like in France or block every road like in Spain, the aim is at least people will start talking about these issues again," he told AFP.
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he → manage → AFP
…and 52 more, not listed.
The Aporia
