Mass protests swept across France on Saturday as hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets to demonstrate against rising living costs and deteriorating conditions within the national education system. According to the Ministry of Interior, approximately 410,000 people participated nationwide, with 110,000 marching in Paris. In contrast, the CGT union confederation reported significantly higher figures, estimating 800,000 participants across the country, including 250,000 in the capital.
In Paris, a demonstration navigated from the Porte d’Italie toward the Porte de Vincennes along the Boulevards des Marechaux. Along the Boulevards des Marechaux, by 5pm local time (15:00GMT) on Saturday, a cheerful demonstration started in Porte d’Italie in Paris before reaching the Porte de Vincennes.
Authorities had restricted the march to this southeastern route after banning the originally proposed path between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation.
Throughout the capital, police utilized tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds in several central areas. Official reports confirmed 65 arrests in Paris out of 3,000 identity checks, while at least 135 individuals were detained nationwide with various weapons seized.
Many participants expressed frustration over the government’s approach to managing dissent. One protester identified as Emma, a podcaster, remarked that the state’s tactics were designed to exhaust and discourage the movement. Monica, a retired public education worker, added that the last-minute rerouting of protests suggested a deliberate effort by authorities to render the movement invisible.
Public life in Paris was heavily impacted by the unrest, as retailers boarded up shop windows, 24 metro stations closed at the request of police, and cultural institutions like the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay suspended operations. Art Basel Paris also canceled its scheduled weekend events. Businesses were shuttered and shop windows covered with protective panels, while some retailers hired private security, in central Paris. But they also acknowledged that the situation was calm.
The current tensions follow significant unrest on October 17, when over half a million people demonstrated. That event saw widespread vandalism and looting, resulting in more than 2,000 arrests. In anticipation of further disorder, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, noting a 20 percent increase in force compared to the previous week. This deployment includes the elite RAID unit, tasked with supporting general crowd control operations. The protest comes after authorities announced that more than 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were going to be deployed across the country, determined to prevent Saturday’s demonstrations from descending into the violence that erupted last weekend. Protests that had been largely peaceful were marred by widespread looting, vandalism and clashes, with thousands of businesses damaged or ransacked, on October 17.
Protests were not limited to the capital; downtown demonstrations were prohibited in cities such as Nice, Montpellier, and Rouen. In Lyon, police deployed tear gas against a group of 150 demonstrators following a city-center ban. Meanwhile, the ‘Yellow Vest’ movement, which emerged from 2018 cost-of-living protests, has scheduled a follow-up rally for October 31. Other protests organised by groups other than unions have been prohibited. The ban – and the push of the march to the city’s edge – triggered an uproar. Inequality and Macron’s presidency, the movement has since become a focal point for wider discontent over the cost of living. Recent polls have placed her as the leading contender for the presidency by a wide margin.
The student-led movement began in mid-September as a reaction to school closures, teacher shortages, and grievances regarding the ‘Parcoursup’ university admission system. President Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally ineligible for a third term and will exit office in 2027, met with student representatives on Friday to offer reforms, though the dialogue failed to satisfy organizers who continue to demand concrete action. Teachers, ecologists as well as nurses and union representatives were marching and dancing amid witty slogans and calls for President Emmanuel Macron’s resignation: “Too many billionaires; We are preparing the revolution,” chanted a group. “We are all anti-fascists,” chanted a second one, echoing a familiar slogan of Italy’s anti-fascist movement, young students.
The political climate is further complicated by the upcoming presidential election in six months. As Marine Le Pen’s National Rally holds its party congress to launch a campaign, counter-demonstrators have mobilized to oppose the far-right faction. Authorities expect between 20,000 and 30,000 people to participate in these counter-rallies, necessitating extensive security operations as the nation approaches a pivotal electoral period. Whose leading figure, Marine Le Pen, has long campaigned on a promise to restore law and order, the violence has also put a renewed focus on the far right.
