Massive protests sweep Europe over cost of living and strained public services

Massive protests were sweeping Europe on Saturday as part of demonstrations driven by the cost of living and deficient public services, with police bracing for potential violence after recent looting and riots.

Germany, France, Spain and Italy are among the nations where demonstrations were being held on Halloween following a recent wave of Gen Z-led marches across the continent.

French officials said they would deploy 70,000 police on Saturday following some of the worst rioting in decades, which erupted in cities across the country after student protests about the state of education evolved into wider demonstrations about the cost of living and social security.

As the demonstrations began Saturday afternoon in Paris, protesters were pictured holding a banner that read: “We do not need tear gas for our future to be blurry.”

Videos vetted by NBC News show large crowds and fires burning in Marseille.

Some 320,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday, including 70,000 in Paris, according to the French Interior Ministry. Authorities reported more than 560 arrests nationwide by Saturday night.

While the protests have been largely peaceful, police arrested 1,300 people last week after an estimated 410,000 took to the streets in cities across the country. Stores…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business