Scores of people took to the streets in France and Germany as Europe witnessed yet another week of protests. France saw its third consecutive weekend of demonstrations, while those in Germany turned violent, with protesters looting stores and hurling petrol bombs at authorities.

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Protesters in France took to the streets on Saturday in a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over education and living costs, The Associated Press reported.

The French government estimated that 3,20,000 protesters took part nationwide on Saturday, down from 5,50,000 on October 17 and 4,10,000 on October 24, the report stated. However, organisers are said to have reported higher figures. Their estimates could not be known at the time of publishing.

While the crowd along the Boulevards des Maréchaux, avenues that ring the edge of Paris, remained largely peaceful at first, with techno music playing and marchers going trick-or-treating for Halloween, unrest broke out near Porte de Charenton. Protesters launched glass bottles and fireworks, while police used stun grenades and tear gas.

According to the French authorities, over 560 were arrested nationwide by Saturday night, AP added.

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Meanwhile, an IT worker protested in solidarity with the students and her mother, who was struggling with a minimum wage job. A woman with gray hair carried a sign that read: “The Old are Fed Up Too,” it added.

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The protests in Germany were organised by the campaign group “Gen Z regelt” (“Gen Z takes charge” in German). It took place across 34 cities in the country, including Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt, according to a Reuters report.

The group voiced its opposition to compulsory military service and demanded more investment in education as many young Germans face rising costs, the report added.

In Frankfurt, demonstrators clashed with police, throwing stones, fireworks, and petrol bombs. Meanwhile, police deployed water cannons and pepper spray as several stores, including a gun store, were looted and damaged.

According to the police, a suspect was arrested, and two weapons were seized.

“In the city center area, windows of several shops have been smashed. Additionally, Molotov cocktails were also being thrown at emergency forces. We urge all uninvolved individuals to avoid or leave the city center area,” Frankfurt police said on X.

Barricades were set on fire in Hamburg, while scuffles also broke out in Berlin and Cologne.

According to Reuters, police in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin reported around 18,000 protesters, half of the roughly 36,000 on the organisers’ website.

“What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service, and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden,” Reuters further quoted Friedrich as saying.

Housing protesters returned to one of Lisbon’s main squares on Saturday, stepping up pressure on the government to scrap a rental bill. Portugal is experiencing one of Europe’s worst housing crises, with younger demographics bearing the brunt. House prices have more than doubled since 2017 and rents for new leases have nearly doubled, Reuters reported.

The protesters are demanding the government scrap a bill making evictions easier and ending rent caps on new leases. However, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Thursday ruled out scrapping the bill but said he was open to amending it ahead of a final vote in the following weeks, the report added.

(with inputs from agencies)