Vice President JD Vance sharply called out WNBA players in the league finals over skipping the national anthem during an interview Wednesday, calling them "disgraceful."

Players from both the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries have left the court during the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals, despite a rule in the league’s own rulebook specifically calling for players to stand and line up during the performance.

"I think it's disgraceful," Vance told host Raymond Arroyo on "Arroyo Grande." "I think that you should not express some criticism of a public policy of a given politician by disrespecting the country writ large. I mean, those women who play for the WNBA, think of the public safety, think of the incredible wealth and privilege, the amazing jobs that they have. They have a lot to be grateful to the United States for, and I think that if they had a bit more of a spirit of gratitude, they'd be happier people, and they wouldn't offend so many people as well."

Vance also appeared to cite Saint Augustine’s idea of Ordo Amoris, a concept from Catholic thought that Vance cited in 2025 to defend administration deportation policies.

NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BEFORE GAMES 1 AND 2

"I've gotten some trouble talking about this, but I'll just talk about it again," Vance said. "One of the ways I understand the Catholic understanding is that we have various orders of duty, and you know, our closest and most immediate duty, of course, is to our family and to the people in our immediate circle. But we, of course, owe duties to the entire world. We owe duties to the stranger. But I also think a good and coherent understanding of the Christian self is that you are part of a national community."

He added, "Whether you were born in the United States or whether you came here by choice, this is your country. And I think that we're all meant to love it. We're all meant to try to make it the best version of itself. But fundamentally, I think, without love of country, I think that you're going to be a disordered human being."

Fox News Digital spoke to veteran GOP strategist Mary Marslender, who argued, like Vance, that the basketball players lack perspective on how great it is to live in the United States.

OUTKICK READERS BLAST WNBA PLAYERS FOR HIDING DURING FINALS NATIONAL ANTHEM

"The WNBA players are treating a country that has given them extraordinary privileges as if it were an oppressor, while ignoring that American women enjoy rights and opportunities that remain rare or nonexistent for most women elsewhere," she said. "They seem to forget that a league like the WNBA exists and its players can publicly dissent without fear of state reprisal solely because of these rights and opportunities. If these activists hate this country that much, they are free to leave it. The rest of us are done with this disrespect."

Fox News Digital reached out to the WNBA, as well as the Women's National Basketball Players Association, and did not receive an immediate reply.

OutKick's Dan Zaksheske contributed to this report.

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The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the court for the national anthem before the first two games of the WNBA Finals. Now Riley Gaines is arguing that those decisions should carry consequences when athletes seek to represent the United States internationally.

Gaines initially weighed in while sharing OutKick’s video of the Game 2 anthem absence.

"It’s my personal opinion that if you kneel for the flag and what it represents, you shouldn’t be able to represent the USA at the Olympics," Gaines wrote on X.

DREAM, VALKYRIES SKIP NATIONAL ANTHEM IN WNBA FINALS GAME 2 DESPITE RULEBOOK REQUIREMENT

In a statement to OutKick, Gaines expanded her argument to players who leave the court to avoid the anthem.

"The American flag and our national anthem do not represent whichever political party or administration happens to be in power. They represent the American people, our shared identity, the freedoms we enjoy, and the generations of men and women who fought, sacrificed and died to preserve those freedoms," Gaines said.

"Players who leave the court specifically to avoid the national anthem are making a deliberate statement. They are free to do so, of course. Free speech includes the freedom to withhold respect."

"But I’m of the mind that choice has consequences when the same athletes later seek the honor of representing the United States on the international stage."

Neither Finals team nor the WNBA has answered OutKick’s questions about the anthem absences. Nor has the NBA, whose commissioner, Adam Silver, is helping lead the search for the WNBA’s next commissioner.

NBA STAYS SILENT ON WNBA FINALS TEAMS SKIPPING NATIONAL ANTHEM IN GAMES 1 AND 2

Gaines said patriotism does not require blind allegiance to a political party or pretending America is without flaws. But she argued that athletes seeking to represent the country should be judged on how they treat its anthem.

"If an athlete treats standing for the anthem as optional or objectionable during the WNBA season, it is reasonable to question whether they are prepared to accept the full weight of representing the country when the spotlight is global," she said.

Former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones called Tuesday for players from both teams to lose their eligibility to represent the United States in Olympic basketball.

Jones wrote that those players "should be ineligible to play on the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team."

Atlanta’s Team USA connection includes Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard

Reese and Howard were both named to Team USA’s 2026 Women’s World Cup roster. The Dream announced their selections in August, noting that they became the first two players in franchise history selected together for the United States at a five-on-five Women’s World Cup or Olympics.

Golden State had no players on that U.S. World Cup roster, but Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase served as a U.S. assistant coach. Golden State star Gabby Williams represents France.

Both Reese and Howard stood for the national anthem while representing the United States at September’s FIBA Women’s World Cup.

AMERICA'S WOMEN'S BASKETBALL EPIC REACHES CLIMAX WITH NATIONAL UNITY ON THE LINE IN FIBA WORLD CUP FINAL

But representing the United States internationally comes with an extra responsibility to show respect for the country at home.

And that responsibility doesn't disappear when the USA jersey comes off and the WNBA jersey goes on. Staying off the court while the anthem plays during the WNBA Finals falls short of the standard we should expect from athletes entrusted with representing this country.

Sage Steele warns anthem absences could drive fans away

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele also criticized the league in a social media video.

Steele accused the WNBA’s players, coaches and leadership of disrespecting the country by leaving the court for the anthem.

"So are they free to express themselves the way they want? Absolutely. But there’s a cost to it," Steele said.

"And I just hope they realize that this constant lack of respect is going to turn fans away forever. They’re not going to come back, and it’s going to be their own fault," Steele added.

Players are free to express themselves, but as Steele noted, that freedom can come with a price. We're not calling for the players to be jailed.

The First Amendment limits the government’s power to restrict speech, but it doesn’t require fans to support those choices or critics to stay quiet. We have the right to express our disapproval, too.

WNBA rulebook calls for an anthem lineup

Both Finals teams were off the floor during the anthem before Saturday’s opener and Monday’s Game 2 at Chase Center. In both games, the players returned within seconds of the performance ending.

The WNBA’s 2026 official rulebook includes a provision calling for players, coaches and trainers to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or foul line during the national anthem.

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OutKick contacted the WNBA and both teams after Game 1, followed up Sunday and again Tuesday. The inquiries sought explanations for the absences, clarification of the league’s anthem requirements and the teams’ plans for Game 3 on Wednesday night in Atlanta.

Those questions remain unanswered.

For Gaines, the responsibility goes beyond a WNBA pregame routine.

"Wearing the USA jersey is not a private entitlement that comes with athletic success. It is a public responsibility," she said.

The mayor of Nice, France, rebuked Victor Wembanyama for supporting the ongoing protest movement in France, accusing the NBA star of encouraging unrest.

"French celebrities like the basketball player Victor Wembanyama, who called for supporting the riots of October 17, bear a historic responsibility," Ciotti wrote on X. "They must be condemned."

For background, the protests began in September with high school students claiming they were demanding better conditions in French schools, including more resources, improved facilities and relief from overcrowded classrooms. The movement has since expanded into a broader protest against government spending cuts, drawing support from university students, labor unions and members of France's "Yellow Vest" movement.

KYRIE IRVING, VICTOR WEMBANYAMA LIKE MAMDANI'S VIDEO CALLING NETANYAHU A 'WAR CRIMINAL'

The unrest escalated significantly on Oct. 17, when an estimated 550,000 to 800,000 people participated in demonstrations across France. Rioters broke out in several major cities, including Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Rioters and looters clashed with police, set fires, damaged public buildings and looted businesses.

Earlier this month, Wembanyama, who was born in France, wrote on Instagram that he'd "really love to" join the protests.

"These are systemic inequalities, problems that are so deep," he added when asked about the demonstrations during a preseason postgame press conference on October 8.

"I’m glad that high school students, young people in general, are making their voices heard, because I hear them and I support them. And I hope the people at the very top will do the same."

Then, on Oct. 16, the eve of the nationwide demonstrations, Wembanyama posted a cryptic image of the White Rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland" pointing to his watch. Some in France interpreted the post as signaling anticipation for the Oct. 17 demonstrations, though Wembanyama did not explain its meaning.

Wembanyama has not publicly commented on the protests since the widespread violence on Oct. 17.

As the emerging face of the NBA, Wembanyama has shown he's more LeBron James than Michael Jordan in his approach to political issues. Last January, he said he ignored the advice of Spurs public relations and spoke out against ICE in America anyway.

"PR has tried, but I'm not going to sit here and give some politically correct [answer]," Wembanyama told reporters. "Every day I wake up and see the news, and I'm horrified. I think it's crazy that some people might make it seem like or sound like the murder of civilians is acceptable."

During the NBA Finals, Wembanyama drew attention for crossing his arms during the playing of the U.S. national anthem. Later in the series, he reportedly stayed off the court entirely during the anthem.

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA CROSSING HIS ARMS DURING U.S. NATIONAL ANTHEM IS A PROBLEM FOR THE NBA | BOBBY BURACK

It would behoove the NBA for its biggest star to not align himself with polarizing political causes. James did little to help his own or the league's popularity when he embraced political activism.

I suspect Wembanyama's commentary and demonstrations, whether about America or France, won't help the league's popularity either.

One must also wonder how informed Wembanyama is about the issues on which he comments. This tends to be the question when athletes and celebrities speak out about complicated issues.

His initial support was for students protesting conditions in French schools. Fine. However, the movement he encouraged has since grown into something much larger and, at times, much more violent.

Wembanyama was willing to lend his considerable platform to the demonstrations when they represented a cause he supported. Now that those demonstrations have been accompanied by widespread violence, he ought to use that same platform to condemn it.

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So far, he hasn't. Nor has he responded to Mayor Ciotti's criticism of him.

A Minnesota rapper has stood by his social media posts idolizing the increasingly violent protests in France, which resulted in some 2,500 arrests over the weekend.

Tufawon, whose real name is Rafael Gonzalez Jr., made a series of posts on Facebook advocating for White people in the United States to "go outside and raise hell" after he and Greta Thunberg visited Lycée Paul Éluard, the high school in Saint-Denis where many of the student demonstrations kicked off this month.

"Do I think way more people need to become radicalized here? Absolutely, especially white people, and that’s where I think we can take influence from the French." 

"All Power to the People!" the 40-year-old rapper wrote on Facebook. "Go f— s— up white people. It's your time."

In an earlier post, he clarified that when he says White Americans need to "raise hell" or "f— s— up" about supposed fascism and authoritarianism under the Trump administration, he means they need to "take it to next level peacefully and legally."

RO KHANNA SPARKS BACKLASH OVER FRANCE RIOT COMMENTS AS CRITIC SAYS HE WANTS TO ‘RIDE THE RAGE WAVE’

And in a statement to The New York Post, Tufawon said his Facebook posts "fall under figurative speech and in no way, shape or form did I use them with the intent to incite violence of any kind."

Tufawon, who is part Native American, also told the Post that his participation in some of the French protests last week was impromptu because he had been on vacation in the country.

In one video, he was in front of a crowd chanting "f— ICE" and "ICE out" before performing his song "No One Is Illegal."

The protests in France, which began weeks ago as student-led demonstrations against poor classroom conditions and education funding cuts, have now devolved into widespread riots involving a range of political and ideological factions.

VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT FRANCE PROTESTS AS MACRON WARNS UNREST IS BEING EXPLOITED

Images and videos posted to social media on Saturday and Sunday showed groups of men waving foreign flags while engaging in acts of destruction on the streets of France's major cities.

A Fox News Digital investigation found that communist organizations, Islamic advocacy groups, labor unions and environmental activists were involved in the unrest.

French officials said they have arrested over 2,500 people in connection with the demonstrations, which have drawn participants motivated by a range of issues, including the cost of living and climate change.

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On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country, though looting and violence broke out in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and other cities.

Shops were broken into, vehicles and buildings were set on fire and in Marseille, the city hall building was set ablaze by agitators. Rioters have so far caused about $1 billion in damage.

President Donald Trump has preemptively sought to discourage similar conduct in the U.S., saying Tuesday that federal law enforcement would treat potential rioters "very, very rough."

More demonstrations are planned across France on Saturday, with French officials planning a massive security deployment ahead of time to deal with expected unrest.

France will meet further demonstrations this week with a "massive" deployment of police backed up with soldiers, Macron's government said.

The post France Backfills Front Line Police With Troops as Coming Riot Day Leaves Forces Spread Thin appeared first on Breitbart.

Dani Watt, wife of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, challenged the NFL’s decision to keep Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints in France on the schedule after protests over school conditions and living costs led to violence, fires, and

The post T.J. Watt’s Wife Calls Out NFL for Proceeding with Paris Game Despite Riots: ‘Tell Me How This Makes Sense?’ appeared first on Breitbart.

One of the unfortunate quirks of the American system is that you can't lie to the government, but the government can lie to you. Samuel Tunick found himself on the receiving end of this setup last year at Atlanta International Airport. When agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked for his phone password, he allegedly gave them a self-destruct code that wiped his data. Tunick now faces five years in prison for destroying evidence.

It turns out that the feds were lying to Tunick the entire time. A new court filing, first reported by 404 Media, shows that the DHS had sent out an order to seize Tunick's phone over his involvement in environmentalist protests in Atlanta. When he landed at the airport, however, agents told Tunick that they were looking for "kiddie porn" and he would be allowed to leave with his phone if he cooperated. They also repeatedly denied him access to his lawyer when he asked.

"There can be no real debate that if law enforcement had acted similarly elsewhere in Atlanta, their actions would be unconstitutional. But the government says it was entitled to act this way because Mr. Tunick was returning from an international vacation" in the Dominican Republic, his lawyers wrote in the filing, which includes internal DHS communications and excerpts from his interrogation video.

U.S. law recognizes a "border exception" to Fourth Amendment privacy rights, allowing federal agents to search incoming travelers for contraband. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) claims that this exemption also allows them to hold travelers for questioning and search their electronic data. Tunick's case reveals just how widely the agency stretches this loophole.

A few hours before Tunick landed, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent Travis Mcghie emailed the CBP station in Atlanta with his photo and information, stating that he is under investigation for "suspected terrorist activities." (Tunick is involved in Save the Atlanta Forest, also known as Stop Cop City, a protest movement against a local police training center.) The email asked CBP to "conduct a 100% baggage exam, retain all electronics and collect passcodes," stating that the HSI will be at the airport to conduct an interrogation.

Pulled into the secondary screening room, Tunick "almost immediately" told CBP officers that "I don't really want to speak without a lawyer any more," according to the filing, which cites the interrogation tape. He would ask for a lawyer multiple times.

The agents asked Tunick if he had "kiddie porn" on his phone and stated that "because you're refusing to talk, we have the authority to go through your phone to see what we're looking for." One of them, Latoya Castro, told Tunick that "either you can give us your password so that we can go through it no problem, or you can refuse to do that, unfortunately, we will have to seize your phone."

Both of those statements were a lie, of course. The HSI's email had asked CBP to take Tunick's phone, whether or not he cooperated.

The lie about child porn may not only have been meant to intimidate Tunick. While there are contradictory lower court rulings about the border search exemption, some courts have ruled that the CBP can only search electronics for "digital contraband," or files that are themselves illegal. A search for child sex abuse material would be on stronger legal ground than a search for mere evidence of other crimes.

Tunick was using GrapheneOS, a secure phone system that allows users to set both a real password and a "duress password" that wipes out all data when entered. The interrogation tape shows his phone appearing to reset after he gave the officers a passcode. HSI agent Nathan Burnham and FBI agent Andrea Coble then entered the room.

"You are not under arrest. Once these gentlemen are done with you, pursuant to your entry into the country, you're free to leave," Burnham said, referring to the CBP officers.

Tunick's lawyers argue that the judge should throw out the phone password Tunick provided and everything that resulted from entering it as an "involuntary" response made under "unlawful interrogation," because the CBP agents did not read Tunick his Fifth Amendment rights and ignored his multiple requests to consult with his lawyer before answering their questions.

The CBP claims that secondary screening at the border doesn't count as a criminal investigation, so detainees don't have the same rights as criminal suspects. "Since the international arrivals inspection is an administrative function, CBP policy and federal regs do not permit the presence of lawyers during secondary examinations," a spokesman told Reason earlier this year.

But Tunick's lawyers insist that his experience was "far outside" a normal border crossing: He was accused of a serious crime to his face, faced an investigation for a different serious crime he didn't know about, and clearly could not leave the situation until he gave information to government agents.

"I hope people understand that the charges against me are meant to intimidate people against protecting their data and their privacy, and the government hopes to set a precedent that no one has the right to privacy," Tunick told 404 Media. 

Defend the Atlanta Forest, the movement that Tunick is involved with, has been a major nuisance for authorities in Georgia. Protesters attacked and burned construction equipment throughout 2022, and police shot a protester in 2023 under unclear circumstances, claiming that they were fired at during a raid.

The Trump administration has brought down the federal government against the movement. In June 2026, the Department of Justice brought federal charges against two alleged arsonists, citing National Security Presidential Memo 7, which directs the feds to go after left-wing domestic terrorism.

But beyond the email line about "suspected terrorist activities," there is no indication of what specific crimes the feds suspected Tunick of, or why they suspected him. And the whole setup of the interrogation was designed to hide those answers. In fact, instead of charging Tunick under typical obstruction or evidence-destruction laws, federal prosecutors chose a rarely-used statute that doesn't require them to disclose what the underlying investigation was about.

"Many times the government wants to highlight what it was trying to investigate because that ups the stakes on what the defendant was doing," former prosecutor Daniel Richman told The New York Times. "This is a case where I think they're trying to avoid exactly that by focusing only on the destruction, and not what the investigation was about." 

The post Homeland Security Lied About Child Porn To Search Activist's Phone appeared first on Reason Magazine.

As protests continue to ripple across European cities, the Italian Green MEP Benedetta Scuderi reflects on her own experiences of police repression, from holding a peace flag near a Brussels protest to facing the fury that followed the flotilla to Gaza. She spoke to EUobserver about the EU’s housing priorities, Italy’s elections, and how the far-right has captured freedom of expression for its own use.

You were detained by police in July, a few hundred meters from a far-right protest calling for “re-migration”. How has the rise of the far-right stalled some key areas, like freedom of speech?

The rise of the far-right is really threatening European democracy as we know it. It has never been perfect, but it allowed people to protest. Now, we only let certain people express their dissent. 

In the European Parliament, people can discriminate and use hate speech because of their freedom of expression, but as you go out of parliament with a Palestinian flag, then you’re a terrorist. So, how is it possible that last Strasbourg plenary, I could hear my colleagues saying that Muslims are a threat, and there are no consequences? And then I go out and I say, “Free Palestine,” and I’ll be arrested.

This double standard is extremely problematic. The fact that not allowing fascist symbols within the parliament also meaning that no other symbol can be shown, is not okay. Because we need to be fine to say that certain things are discriminatory and against European values, without having to say that everything else is not allowed. 

We also need to be able to accept dissent. What is happening all over Europe, with violence increasing towards activists, we’re seeing it target only a certain kind of activists. In Italy, fascist protests are ignored by police. Farmers can come to the parliament with tractors, and that’s completely fine. And then we have 20 people doing a sit-in for Palestine in front of the parliament, and getting their heads smashed. 

This article continues, but the full version is available only to EUobserver.com subscribers. Visit account.euobserver.com/membership

Leaders criticised for spreading misleading information as France prepares for further protests this weekend

Emmanuel Macron has accused Donald Trump and other foreign leaders of making “stupid comments” about France’s street unrest for political gain, as the country prepared for more protests this weekend.

Speaking during a visit to Qatar, the French president did not name names but said “manipulation of information” after Saturday’s riots had led to “comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders”.

Leaders criticised for spreading misleading information as France prepares for further protests this weekend

Emmanuel Macron has accused Donald Trump and other foreign leaders of making “stupid comments” about France’s street unrest for political gain, as the country prepared for more protests this weekend.

Speaking during a visit to Qatar, the French president did not name names but said “manipulation of information” after Saturday’s riots had led to “comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders”.

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Berlin keynote was interrupted by Greenpeace protesters onstage.
• Huang was making the case for Europe to build an AI economy with factories and agents.
• His finale featured a wobbly Microduck robot demo and an AI-generated Eurovision-style video.

Even for a seasoned keynote pro like Jensen Huang, there's always the risk that things don't go fully to plan.

The Nvidia CEO opened the company's Berlin conference on Wednesday to make the case that Europe should build its own AI economy — complete with AI factories, autonomous agents, and robots.

But the pitch was interrupted about 20 minutes into the keynote by protesters holding a Greenpeace banner reading, "Nvidia, clean your dirty business!"

One protester shouted: "Clean up your act! What about the technology that was found in Russian drones? Those were Nvidia chips. What are you doing about that? What are you doing about the environmental destruction?"

The protester appeared to be referring to an August statement from Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, which said it had identified an Nvidia Jetson Orin computer module in a Russian S-71 Monochrome cruise missile. The agency did not allege that Nvidia knowingly supplied the component to Russia.

Greenpeace said in a press release that it's calling on Nvidia to extend its 100% renewable energy target across its wider supply chain and to conduct audits to ensure its technology doesn't end up in military equipment. Nvidia did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comments.

As security escorted the protester away, Huang said, "Give her a chance," and that "everybody has a chance to say something." He then told the applauding crowd: "All important issues … but let me get through my keynote."

Huang, after joking that he had to "torture" the audience with "some education" before "the entertainment," then pressed on with Nvidia's pitch for Europe's AI future. He unveiled DSX POD, a modular system for AI factories, and promoted OpenShell, a platform designed to help companies run autonomous AI agents securely.

'Pay attention!'

The entertainment came near the end of the keynote, when Huang brought four small robots, known as Microducks, from French startup Pollen Robotics onstage.

The demo was charming, but not entirely obedient.

When Huang told the robots to "take a nap," one kept walking before eventually falling alongside the others. Later, only two appeared to perform a somersault when he asked them to.

Another robot lingered farther away from the group and tripped before getting back up. "Pay attention! Stay focused. Come here, come here. Stay focused," Huang told it. It eventually approached and sat down, drawing laughter from the audience.

Huang then closed the event with an AI-generated video of robots singing in a Eurovision-style contest.

The demo came a day after Huang told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Europe could not regulate its way to technological leadership.

"There's nothing to regulate if the industry doesn't thrive," Huang told Merz.

Demonstrators at Rey Juan Carlos University denounce his policies threaten public higher education.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Spanish students gathered at Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) to protest the visit of far-right Argentine President Javier Milei, who was scheduled to participate in a forum during his stay in Madrid.

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Argentine Court Rules Milei University Funding Decree Unconstitutional

Armed with pots and pans, whistles, Palestinian flags, and banners, the students waited for the Argentine leader, who arrived at the university escorted by several security vehicles with tinted windows.

“Milei, fascist, you’re on our list” and “Milei, you rat, die,” social activists opposed to the presence of the far-right politician shouted in unison.

The URJC for Public Education Platform has called for Milei’s invitation to be canceled, arguing that his presence contradicts the values of a public university.

The text reads, “The fascist Javier Milei is currently at the URJC’s Vicálvaro campus giving a talk, accompanied by Diaz Ayuso. We, the students, refuse to let our campuses be used as a platform for reactionary discourse. They shall not pass.”

“The campus must be a free space where we can all express our opinions,” said Sara Pazos Garcia, a doctoral student in health sciences, who denounced the university administration’s failure to respond to her statement rejecting the visit.

Alejandro, a spokesperson for the organization Socialism, criticized the university model promoted by Milei and Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the conservative president of the Community of Madrid.

“They represent the same university model, which involves defunding public universities to drive the working class out of them,” he said.

The protest took place under a heavy security deployment, with dozens of riot police officers stationed in front of the library and six police vans on the campus’ main street, while demonstrators chanted, “Police out of the university.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

High debt, tight budgets and long-standing structural problems leave few quick or easy solutions.

Recent protests across Europe have brought social and economic strains into sharper focus, reflecting concerns that extend beyond prices to housing, incomes, public services and economic security. Governments face growing pressure to respond, but high debt, tight budgets and long-standing structural problems leave few quick or easy solutions.

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Zakharova Accuses Macron of Hypocrisy Over French Protests

Holding a cardboard sign reading “I am 81 and being evicted,” retiree Maria Teresa Faleiro joined crowds in Lisbon protesting against soaring living costs and a deepening housing crisis.

Despite never missing a payment on the 724-euro (813-U.S. dollar) monthly rent for the home she has lived in for 22 years, Faleiro faced eviction after her landlords refused to renew her lease. With nowhere else to go, she plans to appeal the court-ordered eviction, she said.

Faleiro’s struggle highlights the growing plight many pensioners in Portugal face in securing affordable housing. It also reflects a broader cost-of-living squeeze across Europe, where thousands have taken to the streets to protest rising housing, food, fuel and energy costs, even as headline inflation has eased.

In France, protests that began with students demanding better school conditions and more teaching staff broadened into nationwide demonstrations over rising living costs and wider social grievances.

Violence soon erupted on the sidelines of some rallies, with clashes, looting and arson reported in several cities. The historic city hall in Limoges was largely destroyed by fire.

In Spain, more than 50 protests took place in Madrid and dozens of other Spanish cities on Oct. 3, demanding action on soaring rents, evictions and housing affordability after the government failed to pass emergency housing legislation.

Elsewhere, protests in Italy and Belgium have reflected a broader mix of concerns over wages, prices, public services and fiscal tightening. In Milan, hundreds of black-clad demonstrators besieged Piazza del Duomo on Saturday, throwing firecrackers and bottles at police. At least four officers and 20 protesters were injured, while about 50 demonstrators were detained, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

ECONOMIC SECURITY UNDER STRAIN

Beyond higher daily expenses, mounting financial pressures are fueling a broader sense of economic insecurity across the continent. Although inflation has eased from its peak, households continue to feel the cumulative impact of earlier price increases.

The European Central Bank said food prices across euro-area countries were already 20 percent to 57 percent higher in August 2025 than at the end of 2019. Renewed energy pressures have added to the squeeze, with euro-area consumer energy inflation reaching 18.9 percent in September 2026, according to Eurostat.

Housing pressures are particularly acute among young Europeans. Data released by Eurostat showed that in 2025, 26.9 percent of young people aged 15 to 29 in the European Union (EU) lived in overcrowded households. And 9.1 percent of them lived in households spending at least 40 percent of their disposable income on housing, way above the 7.7 percent recorded for the total population.

Similar pressures are visible beyond the EU. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, property prices have risen by about 70 percent over the past five years, real estate agent Haris Kadic told the Federation News Agency (FENA).

Local media also reported that some residents are borrowing money or relying on help from children and friends to cover basic expenses as housing and fuel costs rise.

Emmanuel Conte, Milan’s city councilor responsible for housing, told Italian daily la Repubblica this month that when people who keep a city running can no longer afford to live there, housing is no longer just a social and economic issue but a political one.

Similarly, Jean Faniel, director general of Belgium’s Centre for Socio-Political Research and Information, told Belgian media outlet BRUZZ that violence accompanying recent protests should be understood in the context of mounting social frustration.

Faniel said peaceful demonstrations and violent confrontations are potentially interconnected rather than entirely separate phenomena, noting that successive austerity measures have placed mounting pressure on people’s living conditions, generating frustration and resentment.

STRUGGLE TO BALANCE FISCAL, SOCIAL NEEDS

European governments have introduced housing, energy and income support, but high debt, aging populations and competing demands for defense and investment are narrowing their room for further action.

As the European Commission expects France’s deficit to reach 5.1 percent of GDP in 2026 and public debt to reach 118.1 percent, Oliver Nachtwey, a sociologist at the University of Basel, said the country’s efforts to contain public debt through spending cuts leave governments with less room to invest in schools, teachers and other public services.

Experts said the challenge is to reconcile fiscal discipline with social stability. Thomas Decreus, a scholar at the Department of Philosophy at Tilburg University, warned that weakening basic social protections could undermine social peace. “A budget must be sound, but social investments are also necessary,” he said.

Former Croatian Economy minister Ljubo Jurcic told Xinhua that price freezes can help contain immediate pressures, but governments must consider who ultimately bears the cost. In the longer run, stronger productivity and a better economic structure offer more sustainable protection for households, he said.

While subsidies and price controls can provide relatively quick relief, expanding housing supply, improving public services and raising productivity can take years, analysts said.

The challenge lies in how governments should respond to demands for immediate results while pursuing reforms that may take much longer to deliver tangible benefits, they said.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Xinhua

Thousands of teachers, pupils, students and their parents but also civil servants including health personnel, pensioners and workers joined their voices in protesting the high cost of living, demanding better education conditions, higher salaries and lower housing costs. Τhe protests followed the 24-hour strike called by the primary and secondary teachers unions. In Athens, Thessaloniki […]

The post Students in Greece protest high cost of living; solidarity with France appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

Students and teachers in Athens and Thessaloniki demand affordable housing, higher wages and increased funding for public education.

Students and teachers in Greece have mobilized in Athens and Thessaloniki to demand affordable housing, higher wages and greater investment in public education, joining a wave of youth-led protests over rising living costs and housing insecurity across Europe.

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Tents have been erected in Athens’ Syntagma Square and in Thessaloniki as demonstrators call for fair rents, more university housing and increased funding for public education.

Authorities deployed more than 3,000 police officers in Athens to monitor a demonstration scheduled for Wednesday, organized by students and teachers. The protests come amid similar mobilizations in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Albania, where young people are challenging housing costs that they say make it increasingly difficult to combine work or study with securing a home.

The Greek primary school teachers’ union, DOE, called a 24-hour strike to demand a 20% pay rise, housing assistance for teachers assigned to work in other cities and improvements to school facilities.

Around 20 student associations in Athens joined the mobilization, planning to march alongside teachers. Their demands include decent housing for all university students, particularly those from low-income families who move to other cities to pursue their studies, higher student allowances and more places in public university residences.

Students are also calling for lower electricity and heating fuel costs, highlighting the pressure of energy expenses alongside the cost of accommodation.

The demonstrations reflect broader grievances among young Europeans over housing affordability. Protesters across several countries have pointed to property speculation, tourism-driven pressures on housing and austerity policies imposed by the European Union as factors affecting their ability to secure a home.

Athens Mayor Haris Dukas, a social democrat, expressed support for students and teachers while making clear his opposition to violent protests.

The demonstrations add Greece to a broader wave of Generation Z mobilizations across Europe over housing costs, economic pressures and access to public services, with students and educators pressing for changes to living and working conditions.

Schools without heat but billions for war: Across Europe, young people have had enough. Amina Vandenheuvel, MP for the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB) and a member of its youth movement RedFox, joins Zoe Alexandra and Rania Khalek as a rebellion against austerity and war sweeps the continent, from student blockades in Belgium and France to strikes against the draft in Germany and housing encampments in Spain.

Vandenheuvel condemns the police repression of protesters, and explains why politicians keep the focus on property damage to discredit the movement – as the war on Iran and Europe’s rush to rearm for war with Russia push ordinary people to the brink. But she also argues anger alone isn’t enough: young people need political awareness, organization, and an anti-capitalist framework for building a different future – one built for the working class, not endless war and billionaire profiteering.

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