Thousands of pupils, university students and teachers have taken to the streets of Athens, Thessaloniki and other Greek cities, with French-language banners and anti-fascist songs highlighting growing anger over education funding, rising living costs and the housing crisis.

Thousands of demonstrators are marching through central Athens and other major cities on Wednesday, 21 October, in a nationwide protest demanding improvements to public education and action to address the soaring cost of studying and student accommodation.

The demonstrations follow a wave of student-led protests that began on Tuesday, when university students pitched tents in Syntagma Square in Athens and other cities to draw attention to the financial pressures facing young people.

Wednesday’s mobilisation has brought together school pupils, university students and teachers, with marches taking place in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa, Volos, Heraklion and other parts of Greece.

The protests have also drawn inspiration from demonstrations in France, with French-language slogans appearing on banners and pupils from music schools performing songs associated with resistance movements.

Thousands march through central Athens

In Athens, protesters began gathering outside the historic University of Athens building at Propylaea during the morning, before setting off towards Syntagma Square shortly before 12.30pm.

By 12.50pm, the front of the procession had reached Stadiou Street near the Old Parliament building, while the rear of the march remained on Panepistimiou Avenue, illustrating the scale of the turnout.

Thousands of pupils, students and teachers are taking part, carrying banners, chanting slogans and using megaphones and horns as they make their way through the city centre.

One of the most striking features of the demonstration has been the presence of slogans written in French, including “To study or to survive?” and “The world belongs to us”.

Pupils from the Music School of Ilion, a suburb of western Athens, joined the front of the procession and performed French resistance songs, alongside Bella Ciao, the Italian anti-fascist song that has become an internationally recognised protest anthem.

The performances featured traditional instruments, including drums and clarinets.

A teacher from the school explained that one of the songs performed by the pupils had been played by French resistance fighters in 1944.

The use of French slogans and music reflects an effort by demonstrators to connect their demands with broader student and social protest movements across Europe.

Roads closed and police detain protesters

The demonstration has caused major disruption in central Athens, with roads closed to traffic and bus and trolleybus services diverted.

The Panepistimio metro station has also been closed, with trains passing through without stopping.

Police are maintaining a presence along the route of the march.

By 12.45pm, officers had taken 12 people in for questioning in Athens, up from the 10 reported earlier in the day. Another 10 people had been taken in for questioning in Thessaloniki.

The police actions are reported as detentions for questioning, rather than formal arrests, with no further details immediately available about the circumstances.

Around 3,000 protesters in Thessaloniki

A large demonstration is also under way in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, where police informally estimated attendance at approximately 3,000 people.

Protesters began gathering shortly after 10am near the statue of former prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos and moved onto Egnatia Street shortly after 11am.

The march began around midday and reached the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace building by 12.30pm.

Banners carried by pupils and students emphasised the international dimension of their campaign.

“Across Europe – Greece and France, we fight for free public education,” read one banner.

Another declared: “A school that does not work for one does not work for anyone.”

Demonstrators are expected to continue towards the Thessaloniki Labour Centre, where they intend to conclude the march.

Participants have pledged to continue their campaign with further school occupations and demonstrations, suggesting that Wednesday’s mobilisation will not mark the end of the protests.

Demonstrations spread to Patras, Crete and central Greece

The nationwide action has extended well beyond Athens and Thessaloniki.

In Patras, western Greece, pupils and university students began marching from Georgiou Square at approximately 11.45am, heading towards the Labour Centre, where they joined teachers and representatives of other organisations.

A large gathering has also taken place in Heraklion, Crete, where demonstrations began at 10am.

Pupils there had already launched school occupations ahead of the main rally, while students gathered in Eleftherias Square before marching through the city centre.

The central slogan of the Heraklion demonstration was “From France to Greece”, underlining the connections protesters are drawing between movements in the two countries.

Organisers and participants have said they intend to intensify their campaign.

Demonstrations have also taken place in Larissa and Volos, where substantial numbers of pupils, students and teachers have gathered.

In Lamia, central Greece, protesters assembled in Park Square, while school occupations were reported in the wider region.

Rallies were also scheduled in Trikala and Karditsa.

More than 50 schools occupied in western and central Greece

The protests have been accompanied by a growing number of school occupations.

According to local news website tempo24.news, pupils have occupied 47 schools across western Greece.

Of these, 18 are in Ilia, 15 in Achaea and 14 in Aetolia-Acarnania.

In Lamia, official figures show that six secondary schools are currently occupied: the city’s 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th general upper secondary schools, its 9th lower secondary school and its 1st vocational upper secondary school.

Pupils have also occupied the vocational upper secondary school in Livadeia, described as the largest school in central Greece.

The occupations reflect the widening scope of the campaign, which has brought together concerns about conditions in classrooms, access to education and the growing financial burden facing families.

Teachers’ unions join nationwide mobilisation

Wednesday’s demonstrations have the backing of major education unions and student organisations.

The Greek Primary Teachers’ Federation (DOE) and the Federation of Secondary School Teachers (OLME) are participating alongside student associations, school pupil coordinating committees and other education groups.

The Confederation of Civil Servants’ Unions (ADEDY) has also called a work stoppage to allow public-sector employees to join the rallies.

The protesters are demanding substantial changes to public education, measures to address problems affecting everyday school life and action to improve access to and participation in higher education.

The rising cost of studying, particularly accommodation, has emerged as a central issue.

Tuesday’s tent protests in Syntagma Square and other cities highlighted the difficulties facing students struggling with housing costs, while Wednesday’s demonstrations have brought those demands into a broader nationwide campaign.

What happens next?

The marches are continuing in several cities, with the Athens procession heading towards Syntagma Square and demonstrators in Thessaloniki expected to conclude their rally at the city’s Labour Centre.

Further traffic disruption is possible while the processions remain on central roads, although no timetable has been announced for reopening the affected streets or the Panepistimio metro station.

Attention is now turning to whether the coordinated demonstrations will develop into a more sustained movement.

Protesters in Thessaloniki and Heraklion have already signalled their intention to escalate their actions, including further school occupations and marches.

With dozens of schools already occupied and teachers’ unions joining pupils and university students in the streets, Wednesday’s nationwide demonstrations could mark the beginning of a longer period of pressure on the government over education, housing and the cost of living.