Key facts
- Milan riots saw clashes with police, property damage, and about 50 arrests.
- Lisbon protesters established a tent camp demanding action on housing and living costs.
- Portuguese housing prices rose 124% between 2015 and 2024.
- Albanian protests involved rocks, molotov cocktails, and damage to buildings.
- Spanish protests over rent increases spurred emergency housing measures and a snap election.
Protests over escalating living costs and housing crises have spread across Europe, with recent demonstrations in Milan and Lisbon mirroring unrest seen in Spain and France. In Milan, riots erupted on Saturday as masked individuals clashed with police, resulting in injuries and approximately 50 arrests. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence, while the city's mayor acknowledged the protesters' concerns but not their destructive actions. In Lisbon, a tent encampment was established in Rossio Square by protesters demanding government action on the housing crisis, with Portuguese housing prices having risen 124% between 2015 and 2024. Similar protests have occurred in Albania, where demonstrators clashed with police over university conditions, and in France, where school-related grievances have broadened into a movement against inequality.