French and Italian city centres fortified with wooden barricades ahead of new protests
Shops in major French and Italian cities have erected wooden barriers as authorities prepare for another day of demonstrations.
Retailers in French cities including Nancy and Paris have installed wooden barricades to shield their stores ahead of a scheduled protest day. The French government says it will enforce tight security measures, warning of social-media posts that encourage looting and other wrongdoing. In Italy, merchants in Milan are doing the same as protests over rising living costs are planned for the same day.
Large turnouts are also forecast for Albania and Spain. Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, appealed to governments to uphold the right to demonstrate and to prioritize de-escalation in policing. The coordinated barricading reflects growing concerns about potential unrest across several European nations.
Why it matters
The barricades signal heightened tension and the risk of disorder as multiple European countries brace for large-scale protests.
How this story developed
- Oct 13 Student Demonstration at Albania's Education Ministry Turns Violent
- Oct 15 Rama issued a written statement refusing to resign as protests entered a third day.
- Oct 17 Donald Trump joked that France has become a prime spot for revolutions amid violent protests, and suggested the U.S. might back a new French uprising.
- Oct 17 About two thousand mainly young demonstrators marched in Milan demanding cheaper gasoline and higher pay, encountering police resistance.
- Oct 17 Police reported about 500 detainees, with 330 released, and injuries to roughly 120 officers and 45 protesters.
- Oct 18 The demonstration escalated into violent clashes with injuries and looting.
- Oct 18 Mass demonstrations have erupted across France, Albania, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and are expected in Greece, driven by youth anger over housing shortages, rising prices and social gaps.
- Oct 18 No new statements from U.S. political figures have been reported since the earlier commentary.
- Oct 19 Approximately sixty participants were detained under the new security decree during the clashes.
- Oct 19 Injuries rose to 272, with 169 police officers hurt, and fires were set at a police station and the Interior Ministry entrance.
- Oct 19 US Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump made public remarks linking the French unrest to immigration and proposing a $5,000 spend on a French revolution.
- Oct 21 Rama announced a €2,500 bonus for frontline police officers.
- Oct 21 Trump referenced the French unrest at a Kansas campaign event.
- Oct 23 Italy’s prime minister ordered the deployment of 500 soldiers to assist police amid the school occupations.
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