Many people have taken to the streets in European countries to protest soaring living costs.
The protests, which began yesterday in Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal, have put governments in European Union (EU) countries under intense pressure.
France is witnessing turbulent protests on a scale not seen in years, with more than 550,000 people taking part, according to the country's interior ministry.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said 1,200 people had been arrested during the protests so far and 150 police officers had been injured. He also said it was "only by a narrow margin that more serious damage was avoided".
According to the French news agency AFP, numerous shops were looted during protests in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said many streets in the city had been left devastated.
In the Belgian capital, Brussels, students have been protesting against university registration fees for several weeks. Police used tear gas and water to disperse protesters after they threw objects at officers and started fires.
Thousands of people are protesting in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, against unaffordable living costs, low wages and a lack of housing in major cities. House prices in Portugal have more than doubled since 2017, while rents for newly let properties have risen by almost as much.
Portugal's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Carlos Abreu Amorim said last Friday that the government would not bow to pressure, regardless of the clamour in the streets.
Protesters in Milan, Italy, have clashed with police, looted shops and set fire to buildings and property. As a result, Piazza del Duomo and the luxury shopping arcade, usually crowded with tourists, have been left completely deserted.
The march against war and rising living costs began peacefully, but the protest escalated after masked people joined the march and threw objects at police. Police then used water and tear gas to disperse the protesters.
According to Italy's LaPresse news agency, at least two police officers were injured in the unrest and around 50 protesters were arrested. Most of those arrested were minors.
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