Danish students join European protest wave against education funding cuts

Thousands of young people in Denmark have demonstrated against a government plan to cut student stipends under a decades-long allowance scheme, adding to a wave of youth unrest across Europe. Organisers said up to 13,000 students marched from Copenhagen’s city hall square to parliament over proposed cuts to free up funds for defence spending on Monday, under the banner “Enough is Enough”.

The rally echoed student protests in France that spread to other European countries in recent weeks, and that morphed into wider grievances over the cost of living and housing crises impacting young people across the continent. Since 1970, all students enrolled in schools or university in Denmark over the age of 18 have automatically received the student allowance regardless of their parents’ income.

Students currently receive 1,154 kroner ($173) a month for those who live with their parents, and 7,426 kroner ($1,116) for those who live on their own. Under the new government proposal, the allowance would be abolished for students living with parents earning over 700,000 Danish kroner ($105,248).