PARIS | October 25, 2026 | More than 400,000 people demonstrated across France on Saturday, October 24, over rising living costs, wages, public services and school funding, while clashes in Paris and other cities intensified pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
France’s Interior Ministry reported that 410,000 people participated in 289 demonstrations nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris. The figures were lower than the 550,000 demonstrators recorded the previous weekend. The General Confederation of Labour, a major French trade union, estimated Saturday’s turnout at nearly 800,000.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful until confrontations broke out as the Paris march approached its endpoint near Porte de Vincennes. Police used tear gas and water cannons after some demonstrators threw projectiles. Clashes were also reported in other cities, including Marseille, Lyon and Strasbourg.
The Interior Ministry said authorities had recorded 1,314 arrests nationwide by 7:30 a.m. Sunday, compared with 2,628 the previous Saturday. Fifty-three members of the security forces were reported injured, down from 1,144 a week earlier. The ministry also recorded 75 firefighting interventions and 24 businesses looted, compared with 2,025 fire-related interventions and 1,522 businesses affected during the previous weekend’s unrest. The figures remained provisional.
Authorities deployed approximately 70,000 police officers and gendarmes for Saturday’s demonstrations, while imposing restrictions on some protest routes and gatherings. The Interior Ministry said the security deployment helped prevent a repeat of the widespread looting and vandalism reported the previous weekend.
The unrest began with student-led demonstrations over school funding and educational conditions before drawing wider participation from workers and others concerned about household expenses, wages and public services. Macron met high school representatives on Friday, October 23, as the government sought dialogue with student organizations and trade unions.
The demonstrations also recall France’s Yellow Vests movement, which began in November 2018 in opposition to rising fuel taxes before expanding into a broader protest against economic inequality, declining purchasing power and the perceived disconnect between the government and ordinary citizens. The movement triggered nationwide demonstrations and forced the government to respond to public concerns about the cost of living.
Unions and protest groups have called for another demonstration on October 31 and a nationwide strike on November 5, according to reports published Sunday. The planned actions could prolong pressure on Macron’s administration as France approaches its next presidential election in 2027.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
