In brief
The protests that began on Thursday over France’s rising cost‑of‑living turned violent on Saturday, leading to more than 1,300 arrests and tear‑gas assaults by police. 70,000 officers were deployed across the country, yet sporadic clashes erupted in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. While the Interior Ministry kept the unrest under control, dozens were injured and dozens of businesses were damaged. The unrest comes just months before the spring presidential election and has deepened the already sharp divisions between the left, right and the public.
The protest movement that began on Thursday in response to soaring living costs descended into violence on Saturday, provoking widespread police deployment and 1,300 arrests across more than 50 French cities.
Authorities, deploying about 70,000 officers, used tear gas, water cannons and elite counter‑terror units to quell demonstrations that started as largely peaceful marches in Paris and expanded to Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and elsewhere. The Interior Ministry reported that 142 people were arrested in Paris, only half the number from the previous week.
Several injured victims were reported: a 20‑year‑old protester in Toulouse lost fingers in an explosion; others in Clermont‑Ferrand and London‑turnin: near‑fatal wounds were inflicted by police devices.
“We really want a change in France,” said a teenage protester who asked not to be named. A second, masked teenager echoed, “We’re abandoned by the government, and it’s almost time for action.” A woman named Zelie, 26, spoke to the BBC, saying, “They keep us quiet. They take our money, they tax us a lot and we can’t say anything.”
Politically, the unrest comes at a delicate time. President Emmanuel Macron faces apparent pressure from both the left‑wing France Unbowed (LFI) and the hard‑right National Rally (RN) as polls point to a showdown between Marine Le Pen and Jean‑Luc Mélenchon in the upcoming presidential election. Internationally, similar protests unfolded in Barcelona, Tirana, Brussels, Milan, raising concerns about the broader European cost‑of‑living crisis.
The French Chamber of Commerce estimates damage from last weekend’s protests at hundreds of millions of euros, with a thousand police officers reported injured. Overnight curfews were imposed in Paris and other metropolitan hubs to restore order.
Marseille, 24 Oct 2026 – Protesters set makeshift barricades ablaze during the crackdown.
