Half a million protest across France and Italy as youth unrest shakes European cities
According to BBC, CNN and Reuters, large-scale youth-led protests erupted simultaneously in French and Italian cities on Oct. 17. French President Emmanuel Macron publicly said ’there is no place for violence,’ while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described parts of the demonstrations as ‘acts of violence’ and condemned damage to public property. French participation was widely cited at ‘about 500,000,’ while Milan, Bologna and other Italian cities saw police clashes and looting or arson at commercial premises, refocusing outside attention on the multi-layered pressures facing the next generation in Europe — housing, employment and purchasing power.