From Paris and Berlin to Rome and London, youth-led demonstrations expose deepening public frustration over economic hardship, underfunded education and government priorities, as authorities deploy tens of thousands of security forces and step up arrests.

PARIS -- Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Europe on Saturday in a wave of youth-led demonstrations over living costs, education and government spending, with France deploying 70,000 security forces and reporting 320,000 participants nationwide, Germany staging its first major youth protests, and police in London arresting dozens at a pro-Palestinian rally.

The protests marked the third consecutive weekend of unrest in France and spread to at least eight European countries, according to media reports and authorities.

While most rallies remained largely peaceful, the scale of mobilization and the deployment of security forces underscored growing anger among young Europeans over economic pressures and government priorities.

In Paris, tens of thousands marched along the capital's outer boulevards from Porte de Bagnolet to Porte de Charenton after the Council of State upheld a police ban on demonstrations through the city center.

The Interior Ministry reported 320,000 participants nationwide, including 70,000 in the capital, according to figures cited by local media. Police had made 27 arrests by 2 p.m., compared with 217 arrests the previous Saturday.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, particularly after dark on Halloween, citing "violent messages" circulating online among far-left groups.

Authorities barred entry to Place de la République and Les Halles—both hit by rioting and looting on Oct. 17—from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Some businesses in Marseille and Bordeaux boarded up windows, fearing violence.

The movement began with high school students protesting school conditions and broadened into wider anger over living costs. "We had promises, but what we want now is action," one protester in Pau told Franceinfo.

Student and high school unions have called for new blockades of educational institutions from Tuesday.

In Germany, the social media movement "Gen Z regelt" ("Gen Z's got this") organized demonstrations in more than 30 cities, with organizers saying over 160,000 people had registered online.

Police in Cologne reported several thousand participants, while Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg, Mannheim and Erfurt saw several hundred to a few thousand each.

The group demanded more funding for schools, measures against rising living costs, social justice and climate protection, and rejected any return of military conscription.

Some shops on Berlin's Kurfürstendamm boulevard boarded up windows, though authorities said they were unaware of specific threats. Pro-Palestinian solidarity statements were reported at several rallies.

Italy's largest demonstrations occurred Friday, when over 100,000 students and workers marched in Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin and some 50 other cities alongside a general strike called by the grassroots USB union.

Protests were largely peaceful compared with the previous week, though sporadic clashes occurred in Turin. On Saturday, tents set up by protesters remained in Rome's Imperial Fora square.

In London, demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Nine Elms in support of Palestine Action, which the UK government proscribed as a terrorist organization last year.

The Metropolitan Police said 48 people were arrested, the majority for "expressing support for a proscribed organization." Protesters held signs reading "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."

A vigil was also held outside the U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh, with no arrests reported. The protests came ahead of a Supreme Court appeal on Nov. 4 against the group's designation.

In Spain, Catalan police planned to activate their highest alert level in Barcelona after an anonymous TikTok network urged new gatherings; protests there last Saturday led to about 130 arrests, mostly of minors.

Shops in Barcelona and Valencia reinforced windows, and Madrid police were on heightened alert. Bulgaria's foreign ministry warned citizens in Barcelona and Valencia of possible unrest linked to the housing crisis.

In the Netherlands, police in The Hague conducted identity checks and searches at multiple locations following social media calls for protests. Demonstrations were also planned or reported in Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal, according to CNN Portugal.