[Anchor]
Protests that began with demands from students for improved educational environments are spreading beyond France to various parts of Europe. As pent-up frustration over soaring prices and austerity policies explodes, concerns are growing that the "Yellow Vest" protests from eight years ago might be repeated.
Gwak Sang-eun reports.
[Reporter]
Police attempt to suppress protesters throwing firebombs and stones by responding with tear gas and water cannons.
Flames soar across streets, and stores with shattered windows become targets of looting.
The flames of the protest even swallowed a historic city hall building in a small town.
On the 17th local time, more than 500,000 citizens poured into the streets in major French cities including Paris.
Student protests demanding better educational environments snowballed into massive demonstrations protesting soaring prices, government austerity policies, and deteriorating public services.
[Emmanuel Duranton / Protester: People have taken to the streets to make a living.]
As the protests turned violent in various places, about 150 police officers were injured and 1,200 protesters were arrested.
Amid the revival of the nightmare of the "Yellow Vest protests" that shook all of France eight years ago, the fever of protests in France continues to spread across borders.
In major Italian cities such as Rome and Milan, large-scale protests also broke out to protest soaring prices, low wages, and deteriorating public services.
This spread as the demands of young people for better educational environments, who had previously taken to the streets in response to the movement of French students, intertwined with widespread social grievances.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that she respects the freedom to protest, but warned that violence burning down cities cannot be tolerated.
Protests protesting high inflation, soaring housing costs, and deteriorating educational conditions continue in Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, with citizens' anger over difficult living conditions exploding across Europe.
(Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi)
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