Why teenagers across Europe are taking to the streets
A protest that began at a French high school has reached Lisbon, Madrid and Milan, and the Guardian argues the cause is a broken deal between generations.
By
Owen Caldwell
In brief
- The unrest began at a French high school and drew in hundreds of thousands of people across France.
- Causes differ by country, from school conditions to housing and military service.
- Four large EU states hold elections within the next year.
- The Guardian editorial says far-right parties are trying to profit from the anger.
A few teenagers at a school in France set off something far larger than a campus dispute. In an editorial published on 23 October 2026, The Guardian describes how that unrest drew in hundreds of thousands of people nationwide and then moved across the continent.
From one school to a continental wave
Streets have filled in Lisbon and Madrid, according to the editorial, while protests turned violent in Milan, Brussels and Tirana as well as in French cities. French authorities have said they will allow only marches organised by unions on Saturday.
The same authorities blame hard-left militants and opportunistic young perpetrators for the destruction and looting of the previous weekend, when, in their account, a minority hijacked largely peaceful protests.
Different grievances, shared recognition
The editorial insists these are distinct movements with their own causes, demands and actors, and that they should not be blurred together. The table below sets out the motives it names.
| Country | Main grievance |
|---|---|
| France | Crumbling, overcrowded schools |
| Greece | Educational underfunding |
| Spain and Portugal | Housing |
| Germany | Possible return of compulsory military service |
Participants nonetheless see common ground. The editorial points to Italian demonstrators chanting in French as a sign of it. It also notes that some protesters in France, Italy and Germany borrowed emblems used earlier in Morocco and Madagascar, linking the unrest to last year’s gen Z protests around the world.
A social contract that no longer holds
The Guardian’s argument is that all these movements rest on a broken social contract. In its telling, a generation expects, with reason, to be worse off than their parents. They face inadequate education and precarious work, struggle to rent a home of their own well into their 20s, and pay for pensions they do not believe they will ever receive.
The editorial adds that governments worried about debt and fearful of bond markets either cannot or will not offer solutions. It also says young people watch inequality grow while others get rich, in some cases from their misfortune, as flats and houses are treated as financial instruments rather than homes.
There is no sign of the discontent ending, the editorial says. Fuel prices are set to rise further over the winter, and both the demands and the participants are broadening. The same affordability pressures, heavy-handed security forces and sense of being left behind were at work in last year’s gen Z protests, it notes.
The political stakes
The editorial states that far-right parties in Europe are seeking to capitalise on the unrest, blaming immigrants and open borders and calling for a strong hand to restore order. It argues these parties lack real answers to the questions the protesters raise.
The timing matters. Within the next year, four of the biggest EU states, Spain, France, Poland and Italy, will hold elections. The Guardian warns this could produce a radical shift to the right that would fundamentally change the EU, and concludes that the continent’s course is being shaped on the streets as well as at the ballot box.
Photo: Ali Ahmad DANESH / Pexels
