Greek youth, inspired by France, protest over living conditions and deteriorating public education

About 20,000 people, according to police, demonstrated across 50 Greek cities on Wednesday, October 21. Their central demand was public and free education. They also protested the decline of public education and the lack of resources allocated to young people.

Students said universities were suffering from weak investment, deteriorating infrastructure, and almost nonexistent support. Philosophy student Tasos Mertzianidis said high rents were forcing students to make painful choices. Those unable to pay could be pushed out of higher education.

The protest connected education with housing and public services. Demonstrators carried slogans including “Study or survive?” and “The world is ours.” Their message was that education cannot remain genuinely accessible when students face rising living costs and limited public support. The demonstration showed how financial pressure is shaping young Greeks’ ability to study.

“Public and free education” generally means education is treated as a public service rather than something available only to people who can pay. Public funding is supposed to keep access open and reduce direct costs for students. The goal is equal opportunity.

Support also matters beyond classrooms. Students need functioning universities, safe infrastructure, and practical help with living costs. In the article, protesters said infrastructure was deteriorating and student support was practically nonexistent. These conditions can make nominally free education difficult to use.

For Greek students, the demand therefore covers both access and the ability to remain enrolled. High rents can create a barrier even when tuition is not the main expense. Public investment should help universities operate and give students a fair chance to continue studying. The article presents this demand as a response to declining services and insufficient resources.

The protest movement was large and geographically broad. Police estimated that about 20,000 people took part. Demonstrations occurred in 50 Greek cities on October 21, showing that dissatisfaction extended well beyond one university or one urban center.

This scale matters because the protesters were challenging national conditions. They criticized declining public education and the limited resources allocated to young people. Their demands concerned universities, student support, housing pressure, and public services. These issues affect students across different locations, even though housing costs vary by city.

The demonstrations also reflected a wider European identity. French slogans linked Greek students with protests elsewhere on the continent. The article does not provide figures for other countries or say what happened next. It does show that the Greek action had both national reach, through its 50 cities, and a broader political frame, through its language and shared concerns.

Greek protesters used French slogans to place their movement in a broader European context. Their signs included “Study or survive?” and “The world is ours.” The language was not presented as accidental; it showed that young Greeks wanted their action understood alongside protests elsewhere in Europe.

The connection rested on shared anxieties. Students worried about the rising cost of studies and the decline of public services. These concerns cross national borders because young people in different countries can face similar pressures when education becomes more expensive and public support weakens.

The slogans also gave the Greek demonstration a common identity. They linked local problems, such as deteriorating university infrastructure and high rents, to a wider debate about public education. The article does not identify the other European movements or explain their exact demands. It does establish that Greek youths were deliberately presenting their protest as part of a continental wave.

Rising rents have turned housing into a major financial threat for young Greeks. Students may need to spend a large share of their income simply to live near their studies. That leaves less money for other needs and makes continuing education harder.

The article gives a direct example. Tasos Mertzianidis said students are forced to pay exorbitant rents. He added that those who cannot afford them are forced to drop out. This shows the key mechanism: housing costs can become an access barrier, even when a student wants to remain enrolled.

The pressure also affects independence. Students who cannot cover rent may be unable to live where they study or may have to abandon their course. The article does not describe every student’s situation, but it presents housing as one of the main sources of financial instability. Without stronger support or more affordable housing, rising rents may continue pushing students away from university.

According to real estate consultancy Geoaxis, rents increased by more than 115% in Athens over the past 10 years. In Thessaloniki, they rose by over 93%. These figures show a sharp increase in the cost of housing in two major Greek cities.

The article gives a comparison point: Greece’s minimum wage has stood at €920 per month since April. It says the wage has risen successively since the financial crisis, but housing costs remain a heavy burden. The article does not provide current rent amounts, so it cannot show exactly how many months of wages a typical rent consumes.

The comparison still highlights a serious affordability problem. Rent growth has been very high while many young people rely on limited incomes. Students facing these costs may struggle to live near university or remain enrolled. The protest therefore connected wage pressure with demands for better public education and student support.

Affordability depends on the relationship between a young person’s income and the cost of living. Wages provide the money for rent and daily needs. Housing prices determine how much remains for study-related expenses. If rent rises faster than income, education becomes harder to start or continue.

Government investment changes that equation. Well-funded universities can provide functioning infrastructure and meaningful student support, reducing the private costs students must carry. In the article, protesters said investment was insufficient, infrastructure was deteriorating, and support was practically nonexistent. Those gaps leave students more exposed to housing costs.

Greece illustrates the combined pressure. The minimum wage is €920 per month, while rents rose more than 115% in Athens and over 93% in Thessaloniki over ten years. Students who cannot afford rent may drop out. Unless incomes, housing affordability, or public support improve, education may remain formally available but practically out of reach for some young people.