Hundreds of thousands protest in France - new unrest

A week after the serious riots in France, more than 400,000 people demonstrated across the country today. After a peaceful start, there were clashes with the police in the evening

Protest day in France Hundreds of thousands at demos - new unrest As of: October 24th, 2026 • 9:00 p.m

A week after the serious riots in France, more than 400,000 people demonstrated across the country on Saturday. After a peaceful start, there were clashes with the police in the evening. Almost 1,000 people were arrested.

According to the French Interior Ministry, around 410,000 people took part in nationwide protests on Saturday. 110,000 of them demonstrated in the capital Paris. The march, organized by unions, had previously been moved by the authorities to the outskirts of the city. According to media reports, the CGT trade union federation spoke of around 800,000 participants nationwide.

While no major incidents were initially reported, unrest began in the late afternoon and evening. Images from Paris showed clouds of tear gas and the use of water cannons, and banging noises could be heard in television recordings.

Tear gas was also used in cities such as Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille. Media reported clashes with the police. In the city of Nantes in northwestern France, damage and looting were reported in a shop, the responsible prefecture said. The security forces arrested six people. Looting was also reportedly observed elsewhere. In Toulouse, a man suffered serious injuries to his hand during clashes with police, according to the media.

According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, almost 1,000 people were arrested by evening. The number is expected to increase. The approved protest marches initially “went well,” said Nuñez. However, police forces were later confronted with "extremely increased levels of violence" from "extreme left-wing militants."

For weeks, pupils and students in France have been demonstrating for better equipment in schools. They have been joined by other groups who, among other things, are taking to the streets against high living costs. Due to fears of riots and looting, such as those that occurred on the sidelines of the rallies last weekend, bans on gatherings in certain zones and curfews were issued in several cities.

The left-wing populist presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who took part in the demonstration in Paris, said with regard to the protests that President Emmanuel Macron must realize "that this will repeat itself every week." The human rights organization Amnesty International criticized the bans on gatherings and denounced “a development towards authoritarian practices”.

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During the current day of protests, the yellow vest movement announced new demonstrations for next week. The organizers of previous events announced on their website that there would be a “3rd act” on October 31st. They called for rallies and sit-ins in front of the National Assembly and all town halls in France. Next Friday there will also be a protest event in which kitchen utensils such as pots and pans will be used to make noise - a so-called casserole.

The Yellow Vests' protest against high living costs and social injustice kept France in suspense between November 2018 and spring 2019. Its name comes from the fact that many of the demonstrators wore yellow safety vests. In the wake of the protests now taking place in France, the movement is showing its presence again.