European protests spread as students and teachers take to the streets

Protests are sweeping across Europe, with students and teachers leading demonstrations in several countries, inspired by ongoing unrest in France. The movement has sparked school occupations, strikes, and clashes with police from Italy to Albania. In Italy, students in Turin, Rome, Naples, and Genoa have occupied schools and halted classes, chanting "Money for schools, not for war" and explicitly citing the French example as a model for forcing political change. In France, weeks of protests have been fueled by perceived police brutality, including an incident where a 15-year-old boy lost his hand after being hit by a police grenade, despite the education minister's promise of 3,000 additional teachers. The unrest has spread to Belgium, where teachers and students demand better conditions, and Spain, where an indefinite teacher strike has begun. In Albania's capital Tirana, violent clashes between youth and police have occurred amid broader anti-corruption protests, with demonstrators calling for systemic change and the education department partially set on fire.