Thousands of students and teachers rallied in Greek cities on Wednesday, calling for more school funding, including better facilities and smaller classes. Greek police said about 10,000 demonstrators, among them school and university students, gathered peacefully in central Athens and the capital’s suburbs.
Protesters chanted “From Greece to France, we want public, free education” outside Parliament, close to where students had held an overnight sit-in before the rally. Demonstrators also took to the streets in Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa and other cities, in solidarity with growing protests in France and elsewhere in Europe.
Youth protests spread across Europe this month
The Greek demonstrations are part of a wave of youth-led protests across Europe this month, including in France and Albania. In Albania, anger over rising costs and alleged corruption has led to clashes with police and major property damage. In France, rallies that first demanded educational resources have turned into angry demonstrations over soaring living costs.
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Debt crisis legacy adds strain on Mitsotakis government
The protests add pressure on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his centre-right government, which will face elections in mid-2027 as the economy weakens. Greece went through a serious debt crisis between 2009 and 2018, when it agreed to spending cuts in return for three bailouts from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, worth about 290 billion euros ($326bn).
Those measures have hit workers, who are among the poorest in Europe and face stagnant wages, high rents and rising energy costs. The average monthly salary of 1,500 euros ($1,685) remains at 2009 levels, and many young people have been priced out of city housing by soaring rents.
Young Greeks describe rent pressures and teacher strikes
University student Georgia Foukidou, 21, who joined the protest in Athens, told a news agency: “Surviving here is very difficult; the rent is really high, the houses are really small. Our parents can’t make ends meet to pay for our rent, the electricity, for our life here.”
The protests on Wednesday also included strikes by primary and secondary school teachers over low pay and staff shortages. Substitute teachers demanded permanent positions and smaller classes, while public sector workers and other unions joined the demonstrations.
Government response on education and energy support
Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki said before the protests that she was listening to student demands. She noted that the government was spending more than 733 million euros ($823m) on new student residences and upgrades to facilities.
The government has also pledged about one billion euros ($1.12bn) in state subsidies and other benefits to offset higher energy costs for households and businesses, which it linked to the Iran war and inflation.
