Europe faces second weekend of unrest as protests spread across France, Italy, and Spain

Europe faced a second consecutive weekend of unrest on Saturday, with hundreds of thousands protesting across France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania, and Belgium over living costs, housing, and government policies, leading to clashes, looting, and mass police deployments. France reported nearly 1,000 arrests as about 410,000 people demonstrated, with violence erupting in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lyon. Italy deployed 500 additional soldiers to Milan, where luxury stores boarded up, while Rome and Turin saw tear gas use. In Barcelona, around 100 people were arrested for looting shops and setting fires. The protests stem from varied grievances, including housing affordability, low wages, education costs, and opposition to policies like the war in Gaza. While not a unified movement, the sustained turnout highlights unresolved public discontent, with governments balancing security crackdowns against addressing underlying issues fueling the demonstrations.