Young people call for urgent meeting with Von der Leyen on wave of protests

O The European Youth Forum and the national youth councils of 28 countries today requested an urgent meeting with the President of the European Commission on the wave of protests in several cities.

In a letter addressed to Ursula Von der Leyen, the organisations call for the President's Youth Advisory Council, in which they are represented as a matter of urgency before the European Council meeting on 17 and 18 December.

In the text, youth representatives are concerned about the wave of protests for housing and education in various European cities.

“There is a fundamental difference between peaceful protest and violence. Young people who march for better schools, affordable housing and voice about their future are exercising a right”, reads in the letter.

Organisations condemn violence by some demonstrators, as recently happened in France, but also by the authorities in how they respond to protests.

The letter is signed by the European Youth Forum and 30 organisations from 28 countries, including the Portuguese National Youth Council.

In a statement, the representatives of Portuguese youth add that organizations also demand “that restrictions on demonstrations should not be used to silence young people and that governments protect them from violence and detention for political reasons”.

In the last month, the wave of protests led by young people has intensified in several European cities, with significant demonstrations in Spain due to the crisis in housing, and in France, where student blockades to schools and universities have grown and inspired national demonstrations against rising cost of living.

In Portugal, protests for the right to housing began on October 10 in Praça D. João I, in Porto, and in Lisbon on October 17 in Praça de D. Pedro IV, with tension with police that does not allow tents to stay overnight in these squares.

The first police charge took place in Porto on October 15th and last week PSP dispersed to the batonada and using dogs the demonstrations that took place in Lisbon and Porto, after more than two hours of tension and orders for people to leave and the tents to be removed.