France Police Arrest 980 Protesters in New Wave of Clashes
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the arrests after evening riots in Paris, Marseille, and other cities followed daytime marches against the cost of living.
By Alessia Romano ·
Nearly 1,000 people were taken into custody by French police on Saturday, October 24, as nationwide protests against the cost of living turned violent in several major cities. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the figure late in the day, noting that the total would likely rise as reports came in from all regions. Two individuals sustained serious injuries during the unrest, one in Toulouse and the other in Clermont-Ferrand.
The day began with largely peaceful marches. The interior ministry estimated that 410,000 people attended the demonstrations, while trade union leaders claimed the number reached 800,000. Authorities deployed approximately 70,000 police officers to manage the crowds and prevent a repeat of the severe disorder seen the previous weekend. That earlier event, which involved thousands of arrests and widespread looting, marked some of the worst street violence in recent French history.
As evening fell, the atmosphere shifted in cities including Paris, Marseille, and Bordeaux. In Paris, trouble started near Porte de Vincennes after a march from Porte d'Italie. Police from elite units, typically assigned to counter-terrorism, charged groups of masked youths who were smashing windows at a car dealership. In Marseille, protesters set barricades and rubbish bins on fire, while in Bordeaux, crowds tore boards off a shop front. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the groups.
President Emmanuel Macron had earlier in the week issued a decree limiting official demonstrations to those organized by recognized trade unions. Fast-track courts have since jailed hundreds of individuals for vandalism, arson, and looting. Nuñez told reporters that several thousand radical activists, including around 500 identified rioters, gathered at the rear of the Paris march.
Protesters expressed deep frustration with the government. One 26-year-old woman in Paris said people were suffering a lot and that it had been too much. Two masked teenagers described their generation as feeling abandoned, blaming poverty and police violence for the unrest. In Lyon, police fired tear gas into a crowd of about 150 students in an area declared off-limits by local authorities.
The unrest extended beyond France's borders. Riot police fired tear gas at demonstrators in Tirana, Albania, and clashes were reported in Brussels. In Milan, hundreds of soldiers and police blocked gathering points to prevent a repeat of last week's violence. Last weekend, approximately 550,000 people marched against rising fuel prices, leading to more than 2,500 arrests and damage to over 2,000 businesses.
With presidential elections six months away, political contenders have begun blaming the current administration for the instability. The Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimated the damage from last week's riots in the hundreds of millions of euros. About 1,000 police officers were injured during that previous event, and one demonstrator lost a hand to a crowd-control grenade.
