Thousands of Danish students have taken to the streets of Copenhagen to protest against government plans to reduce student financial assistance, joining a growing wave of youth demonstrations across Europe over education funding and public spending.
The demonstration, held on Wednesday, November 4, brought together students from high schools and universities who marched from Copenhagen’s City Hall Square towards the Danish Parliament under the slogan “Enough Is Enough”.
Around 12,000 to 13,000 young people participated in the Copenhagen demonstration, while approximately 40,000 students from 57 schools across Denmark reportedly joined strikes and walkouts. More than a dozen student organisations took part in the protest, which remained peaceful under police supervision.
The demonstrations were triggered by a proposed government budget plan to reduce or withdraw the country’s student allowance, known as SU, for young people from middle- and higher-income families.
Under the proposal, students living with their parents would lose their monthly allowance if their parents’ combined annual income exceeds approximately 700,000 Danish kroner (around €94,000). Students whose parents earn between 419,589 and 700,000 kroner would receive reduced financial support.
According to Denmark’s Higher Education Ministry, approximately 14,000 students could lose their grants entirely, while another 8,000 would face reductions if the proposal is implemented.
Currently, students aged 18 and above are generally eligible for the SU allowance regardless of their parents’ income. The monthly support stands at 1,154 kroner (around €154) for students living with their parents and 7,426 kroner (around €993) for those living independently.
Student organisations argue that reducing financial assistance could make higher education less accessible and increase the financial pressure on young people, particularly those who depend on government support to continue their studies.
Protesters carried banners reading “Less Support, Less Educated”, “Broken Promises” and “Don’t Cheat the Young”, urging the government to withdraw the proposed changes.
Oscar Tønsberg Hoffmann, president of the Danish High School Students’ Association, said students were proud of Denmark’s education support system and warned against weakening what he described as one of the world’s strongest education systems.
The government has defended the proposed changes as part of efforts to redirect public funds towards defence spending. It has also proposed restricting unemployment benefits for recent university graduates, requiring them to have worked for at least 18 of the final 24 months of their studies to qualify.
The proposals have created divisions within the governing coalition, particularly among parties that previously opposed reductions in student financial assistance. Government ministers have defended the measures as necessary compromises and economically responsible decisions.
The Danish demonstrations are part of a wider wave of youth-led protests spreading across Europe, where students, teachers and workers have increasingly mobilised over education cuts, rising living costs, inadequate school funding and concerns about public services.
The protest movement initially gained momentum in France before spreading to countries including Italy, Germany, Greece and Belgium, highlighting growing frustration among younger generations over government spending priorities and their future opportunities.
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The Danish protests have brought renewed attention to the role of financial assistance in ensuring equal access to education, with students demanding that governments protect education funding rather than shifting the financial burden onto young people.
