Tens of thousands of protesters clashed with police in France and Albania on Tuesday as student-led demonstrations over education conditions and broader grievances turned violent in both capitals.
In France, 161,500 people joined rallies across the country, with 41,500 in Paris alone, according to the Interior Ministry, as high school and university students demanded better school infrastructure, smaller class sizes, and increased education funding. Unions estimated turnout at 480,000. The protests, now in their fourth week, saw masked demonstrators erect barricades, set cars ablaze, and hurl objects at police in Paris, prompting tear gas and water cannon responses. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined students in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, stating, “Our future is being robbed” . Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon also appeared at the Paris march.
In Tirana, Albania, hundreds of students protesting university conditions, tuition costs, and employment prospects attacked the Education Ministry with bricks and concrete blocks, demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, injuring six officers and a journalist, while 23 demonstrators were arrested. Protesters cited frustration with inequality and government policies, with one, Luljeta Kola, declaring, “What Albania needs is a revolution” . Deputy Prime Minister Albana Kociu condemned the violence, stating it was “not how youth should express themselves.”
The demonstrations in both countries follow weeks of escalating unrest, with French protests expanding from school blockades to nationwide marches, while Albanian rallies have targeted government corruption and economic policies for months.
