In Albania, France, and Belgium, police had to disperse protests with tear gas

Law enforcement agencies in several European countries, including France, Belgium and Albania, were forced to use tear gas and crowd-control equipment to quell mass riots and disperse violent protests. Source: The Guardian

A wave of coordinated protests swept major cities amid mounting socioeconomic discontent, budget crises, sweeping government reforms and discussions of Europe-wide security measures related to the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

In France, large-scale demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies escalated into street clashes with police. Protesters set off flares, smashed shop windows and threw stones at law enforcement officers. In response, Paris police used tear gas and water cannons to clear central squares.

Similar unrest was reported in Brussels, where trade unions and environmental activists blocked government districts, demanding social subsidies, as well as in Albania’s capital, Tirana, where opposition rallies against corruption escalated into an assault on government buildings.

International observers note that outbreaks of street violence across Europe reflect a deep crisis of public trust in government institutions amid inflation, rising energy prices and the costly support for Kyiv’s war effort.

European governments are deploying reinforced gendarmerie and police units to maintain public order, fearing further radicalization of the protest movement. Experts warn that the authorities’ failure to reach a compromise with the public risks pushing the political crisis into a permanent phase of street unrest across Western and Southern Europe.

As a reminder, several dozen participants in an anti-government protest in Prague tried to force their way through the main entrance to the Czech Chamber of Deputies.