France in Turmoil: Nearly 1,000 Arrested as Protests Erupt Across the Country

Protests over living costs and education funding grow into a wider challenge for Macron’s government ahead of the presidential election

PGurus Newsdesk

October 25, 2026

Tear gas, water cannons and mass arrests: fresh France protests hit Paris, Lyon, Nantes and more as Macron faces pressure six months before the election

Interior Minister says nearly 1,000 were arrested as unions and the government give very different turnout figures

Fresh demonstrations spread across France on Saturday, October 24, as people returned to the streets over the rising cost of living, education funding and economic inequality. Police used tear gas and water cannons in Paris and several other cities, where clashes broke out.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said nearly 1,000 people were arrested. He blamed much of the violence on groups of masked, black-clad activists whom he described as ultra-left extremists. About 70,000 police and security personnel were deployed nationwide, backed by helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons, to avoid a repeat of the previous weekend’s unrest, which saw vandalism and looting.

Turnout figures differed sharply. The Interior Ministry estimated around 410,000 participants, while the CGT trade union said about 800,000 took part. In Paris, estimates for the main march ranged from 110,000 to 250,000.

The Paris march was largely peaceful until crowds began to disperse, when police charged and used tear gas and batons. Tear gas was also fired in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes. In Nantes, thousands of protesters pushed through police lines to reach the city centre. Looting was reported in Marseille and Grenoble. Nunez said two people were seriously injured, one in Toulouse and one in Clermont-Ferrand.

Authorities restricted protests in several cities, rerouting Paris’s main march away from central shopping areas. Critics say this undermines the right to peaceful assembly. Some shops boarded up their windows, and the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay stayed closed.

Tensions were also raised by the National Rally’s two-day congress in Orléans, where the party began preparing for the presidential election due in about six months. Thousands marched against the party, and Jordan Bardella was re-elected as its president.

The protests began with high school students raising concerns about staff shortages and school conditions. They have since grown into wider anger over household costs and fuel and energy prices. The Yellow Vests movement has called for more demonstrations on October 31. Nunez said Saturday went better than the previous weekend, crediting the heavier police presence.

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