Students protested across Spain Wednesday as part of a student strike that has seen thousands take to the streets to protest education cuts. In the capital Madrid, more than 1,000 people chanted and blew whistles to protest fee hikes and reductions in scholarships under government austerity. One student said cuts would impact the quality of education.

Barbara, pharmaceutical student: “We will finish our studies without learning anything, and we won’t be able to find work, because if they are going to have interns working for free for nine months, who are they going to hire?”

Pedro, songwriter: “What we have to do is chase down the rich and take their money now. It’s the only solution, because with the Troika and what they impose from Europe, we will be lost here if we do as they say.”

The protests come as European leaders gather in Brussels for the opening of a two-day summit on the future of the eurozone. Ahead of the talks, French President François Hollande signaled his opposition to the strict austerity approach backed by Germany. In an interview with European newspapers, Hollande said: “The time has come to offer a perspective beyond austerity.”