Red October: Young Europeans turn the streets into a political battleground to win the future

In Spain, a group of economists known as Economistas Frente a la Crisis (EFC) has marked its 15th anniversary with the publication of a new manifesto outlining key economic and social priorities for the country. Founded in 2011 during a time when austerity was the dominant response to the financial crisis, EFC challenged this approach by emphasizing the importance of social justice, public services, and environmental sustainability in economic policy. Over the past decade and a half, the organization has published more than 2,000 articles and documents, participated actively in public debates, and appeared frequently in media and public events. It has also released two collective books and supported the publication of several others by its members. The new manifesto highlights current challenges facing Spain, including geopolitical tensions, energy uncertainty, and inequality, which could lead to regressive responses. EFC argues that these issues require reinforcing democracy and expanding rights that allow for a dignified life. One of the main concerns raised is housing, which remains a critical factor in inequality and insecurity. While regulatory measures and tax policies can ease market pressures, they cannot alone address the structural shortage of affordable housing for hundreds of thousands of Spaniards. EFC proposes the creation of a permanent stock of social rental housing, publicly owned and non-transferable, funded through state resources such as the ICO and the State General Budgets. This initiative would involve all public administrations contributing land for development, rejecting both private-public partnerships and the one million homes promised by right-wing parties. Across Europe, young people have been transforming streets into political battlegrounds, demanding access to decent housing and quality public services. Protests began in Madrid on September 26 and have since spread to cities such as Rome, Lisbon, Porto, Dublin, and Brussels. In Belgium, police arrested 200 participants in demonstrations against cuts and austerity policies. Repression has also increased in Paris, where students criticize the deterioration of public education while military spending rises. The French government announced plans to impose night curfews in certain areas of Paris and other cities. Outside the EU but within Europe, Albania has seen a week of student protests calling for the resignation of its prime minister. Nuria Alabao, a journalist, researcher, and anthropologist, notes that movements for housing rights have their own histories in each country, though there is no formal international organization coordinating them. She explains that the replication of protest tactics, such as camping, demonstrates how similar grievances resonate across different regions. In Porto, around 300 people are protesting against the conservative government of Luis Montenegro, accusing him of favoring property owners over the population's needs. In Lisbon, approximately 100 individuals set up tents to demand affordable housing. The Irish tenants' union CATU has called for mobilizations on November 14, expressing hope that the spark ignited in Spain will continue to grow and spread. In Dublin, CATU held a demonstration and open assembly alongside Housing Without Borders. Antonio Gómez Villar, a philosophy professor at the University of Barcelona, emphasizes the role of housing crises in expanding protests, highlighting the difficulty of accessing housing and the economic efforts required. He describes the existential anxiety of living under the fear of losing one’s home, noting the impact on personal continuity and generational fractures. Ruth Ferrero-Turrión, a political science professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, points to multiple factors, including social exhaustion, generational frustration, and lost future expectations. She observes that the narrative of meritocracy and higher education as a path to upward mobility has become outdated, as young people see no guarantee of stable employment, housing, or improved living conditions compared to previous generations. Nuria Abalao adds that the precariousness of the situation reflects broader societal shifts and ongoing struggles for stability and dignity.