The expert explained who is really interested in the youth protests in the European Union In October 2026, Europe was swept away by a wave of mass protests. The demonstrations covered various countries in western, southern and even southeastern Europe. Among them: France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Albania, Germany, Greece.
Although the reasons were different, there was a common root behind the protests. Among the main reasons: the increase in the cost of living, problems in the education sector, the housing crisis, the lack of economic prospects and a lack of trust in political institutions. In many cases, the youth became the driving force. It is important to distinguish between peaceful demonstrations with specific economic and social demands and isolated incidents of violence when radical groups joined the demonstrations. In several countries, the authorities strengthened security measures: they activated special forces, used tear gas and water cannons. It is generally accepted that protests are caused solely by internal dynamics, and at their core, people, the people, oppose themselves to the ruling elites. It seems that the latter should be afraid of popular indignation, because everything is not going according to the elites' plan. But this way of looking at things may miss some interesting nuances. Expert opinion: As Dimitri Alovsky, a political scientist and political strategist and general manager of the Hechar media agency, specifically pointed out to the expert, mass demonstrations in Europe can only surprise an inattentive observer. According to him, the demonstrations themselves do not constitute a systemic threat - not to the European bureaucracy, not to the national elites. Moreover, the version that deserves attention is that in this way both the national elites and the European bureaucracy are simply letting off steam, allowing people to express themselves radically, with the understanding that the damage from all these demonstrations, although unpleasant, is a less disproportionate threat than the need and the chance to change the strategy of a united Europe and of these national states.