Following France's Footsteps: Massive Student Protests in Greece Demand Education Funding and Action on High Housing Costs

Thousands of schoolchildren, university students, and teachers marched in a massive rally in central Athens on Thursday as part of a nationwide action demanding better-funded schools and universities. The movement joins a wave of protests that originated in France and spread across Southern Europe, amid escalating economic pressures and living hardships facing young people and students, including children of expatriate communities and foreign residents.

French Slogans in Front of the Greek Parliament

The gathering kicked off at 11:00 AM outside the University of Athens, marching toward Syntagma Square, where demonstrators gathered in front of the Parliament building behind a police cordon. Participants carried banners reading: "From Greece to France, we fight for public and free education," alongside signs displaying the prominent slogan borrowed from the student movement in France: "Study or survive?" (Étudier ou survivre?).

In a symbolic gesture reflecting the extent of their struggle, some demonstrators dumped bags of rubble and debris brought from deteriorating schools in front of the Parliament, denouncing the miserable conditions students endure, from leaking roofs and cracked, peeling walls to broken heating systems in the dead of winter.

Police estimated turnout at around 4,000 people across both Athens and Thessaloniki combined—a figure significantly lower than the October 21 marches that drew 20,000 demonstrators across 50 Greek cities—an estimate disputed by organizers who maintained that participation was much broader.

Demands for Urgent Reforms and Protecting Free Education

The protesters' demands center on increasing public funding for the education sector, conducting urgent inspections and renovations of school buildings, creating permanent jobs to fill thousands of teaching vacancies, and reducing classroom sizes. They also demanded the cancellation of new national exams and the withdrawal of a proposal to repeal Article 16 of the Greek Constitution, which guarantees the protection and free provision of state higher education. Coinciding with the movement, the Secondary Education Teachers Union (OLME) held a four-hour work stoppage starting at 10:00 AM to allow educational staff to take part in the demonstrations.

Housing and Cost of Living Crisis Suffocates Students

These mobilizations come amid a suffocating cost-of-living crisis afflicting families and students; protesters pointed out that rent has reached approximately €800 per month, making it impossible for many students to continue their studies as they are forced to choose between securing basic daily sustenance or pursuing their education. Trade and student unions are demanding urgent monthly housing subsidies and the introduction of a legal cap on property rents to protect the right to education for all.