More than 400,000 people took to the streets across France on Saturday, October 24, 2026, in a fresh wave of protests over the rising cost of living, school funding and inequality — and the day ended in clashes in Paris and several other cities. Police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse crowds in the capital, capping a second consecutive weekend of nationwide unrest that is testing President Emmanuel Macron’s government six months before France chooses his successor.
What happened on Saturday
The main Paris march began peacefully in the early afternoon, with trade unions leading tens of thousands of demonstrators along the capital’s southeastern edge. But as the procession reached its authorised endpoint at Porte de Vincennes, some protesters threw projectiles at police, who responded with volleys of tear gas and water cannon. Clashes continued into the evening in parts of the capital, and police blocked some demonstrators who tried to continue towards Place de la Nation.
The unrest was not confined to Paris. Police fired tear gas in Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Nice and Strasbourg, and used water cannon in Nice and Nantes. In Marseille, France’s second city, young protesters dragged metal sheets across a street, set fire to rubbish bins and threw rocks and bottles at riot police, with confrontations continuing as night fell.
Turnout figures were disputed, as is often the case in France. The Interior Ministry put the nationwide total at 410,000, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT trade union estimated nearly 800,000 across the country and 250,000 in Paris. By late evening, the interior minister said almost 1,000 people had been arrested across France. The Paris prosecutor’s office said 64 people had been arrested in connection with the capital’s demonstration, 40 of them placed in police custody, most over suspected weapons offences or participation in a group preparing violence or property damage.
Why are people protesting in France?
The movement began in September 2026 in a high school southeast of Paris, where students protested over staff shortages, overcrowded classrooms and crumbling buildings. It has since grown into a much wider expression of discontent.
Students say absent teachers are not replaced, school buildings are in poor repair, class sizes are too large and teaching hours are lost. Official education figures cited in reports show 15.4 million teaching hours in public secondary schools went unprovided in the 2024-25 school year because absent teachers were not replaced — 7.5 percent of scheduled teaching time.
Workers, unions and other groups have joined the students with broader demands: higher wages, better pensions and action on the cost of living. France’s national statistics agency, INSEE, reported that consumer prices rose 3.1 percent year on year in September 2026, with energy prices 21.3 percent higher than a year earlier. The protests have also coincided with public sector strikes over a proposed 2027 cost-cutting budget aimed at saving 54 billion euros.
One marcher in Paris, Camille Chesnier, 27, told reporters she had been unable to find work despite holding an engineering degree and a master’s degree. “There are enormous numbers of people in the same situation as me,” she said, describing how many people without her advantages end up living on the streets or in squats.
A massive security operation
Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across France on Saturday — 10,000 more than the previous weekend — backed by helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannon. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had warned before the marches: “We will not tolerate any violence or any disturbance of public order.”
Police carried out pre-emptive searches during the day, and Nunez said 135 people had been arrested nationwide by early afternoon, many after searches uncovered fireworks, ball bearings and other items that could be used as weapons. More than 3,000 people were stopped and checked by officers in Paris alone.
The Paris route itself became a point of contention. Police had initially approved a march between Bastille and Nation squares in the east of the capital, but overturned the decision on Friday and instead confined the march to a route between Porte d’Italie and Porte de Vincennes along the city’s southeastern edge, away from the centre where shops are concentrated. Unions and left-wing politicians objected, arguing the change could scatter demonstrators and fuel further chaos. In Paris and some other cities, curfews were imposed on certain urban zones, and some museums closed while shops boarded up their windows.
How this weekend compares with last weekend
Saturday’s unrest was widespread but less destructive than the violence of the previous Saturday, October 17, when looting and vandalism swept several cities. That weekend saw public buildings vandalised, hundreds of shops looted and around 2,700 people arrested, and Nunez later conceded police had underestimated the scale of the unrest. He offered to resign, but Macron asked him to stay.
The government has blamed “ultra-left” groups and criminal gangs for the worst of last weekend’s violence, and has ordered that non-union demonstrations be banned as “illegitimate” — a move that has itself angered protesters, who say it tramples the French right to protest.
Why it matters
The protests are now a direct political test for Macron, who is serving the final months of his second term and cannot stand again. France’s presidential election is due in May, and the far-right National Rally has accused his government of failing to protect the public, urging voters to channel their anger into votes for the party.
Macron met high school representatives on Friday. They said he had promised to overhaul university admissions, but called for protests to continue until concrete measures are announced. Organisers from the “yellow vest” movement have called for another day of protests on October 31 to defend the right to demonstrate.
For now, the pattern is clear: a movement that began in one school has become a national argument about living standards, public services and who gets heard — and neither side looks ready to back down. For more World news, see our World section.
Timeline: how the France protests reached this point
- September 2026: Students at a high school southeast of Paris begin protesting over teacher shortages and poor school conditions.
- Early October 2026: Protests spread nationwide, drawing unions, public sector workers and other groups.
- October 17, 2026: A weekend of protests degenerates into rioting and looting in several cities; around 2,700 people are arrested.
- October 23, 2026: Macron meets high school representatives; police change the Paris march route to the city’s southeastern edge.
- October 24, 2026: More than 400,000 people march across France; clashes erupt at Porte de Vincennes in Paris and in other cities; almost 1,000 arrests are reported nationwide by late evening.
Frequently asked questions
Why are people protesting in France?
The protests began over conditions in French high schools — teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and crumbling buildings — and have grown into wider demonstrations over the cost of living, wages, pensions and public spending cuts.
How many people protested on October 24, 2026?
The Interior Ministry estimated 410,000 nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT union estimated nearly 800,000 nationwide and 250,000 in Paris. Turnout estimates in France routinely differ between authorities and organisers.
Where did clashes break out?
Clashes broke out near Porte de Vincennes at the end of the Paris march, and police also used tear gas or water cannon in Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Nice, Strasbourg, Nantes and Marseille.
What happens next?
Organisers from the “yellow vest” movement have called for another day of protests on October 31, while the government says it will present decisions on school staffing, teacher replacements and university admissions. France’s presidential election follows in May.