Clashes erupted in Paris and in other French cities at the end of demonstrations across the country, driven by anger over the cost of living and the precariousness of public services, as authorities mobilized large numbers of forces to prevent the disturbances that erupted two weeks ago from repeating themselves.
The protests, which took place on Halloween and were largely peaceful in the afternoon, occurred after the disturbances and looting of October 17, which caught the security forces by surprise, leaving a trail of destruction in shops, public buildings and businesses across the country.
The riot police moved in to disperse small groups of agitators at the end of the march in Paris, fired tear gas in Lyon, the third largest city in France, and in Toulouse, in the southwest. There were also tensions at the end of unlicensed protests in Marseille.
The protests in France inspired demonstrations led by young people from the “Generation Z” across Europe, with protests taking place in several German cities on Saturday. There were also protests in Italy.
The marches brought together students — whose mobilization began in September —, unions and a smaller contingent of Yellow Vest protesters, united by complaints about the cost of living, high fuel prices, the rise in inflation and the government of President Emmanuel Macron.
“The French economy is doing badly, whatever happens, because today we are governed by a group of incompetents who juggle billions, while families struggle to survive on a few cents,” said demonstrator Jérôme Rodriguez during the march in Paris.
“That’s why we’re here, to keep shouting our demands higher and higher and, hopefully, to get a response from the government, though that seems unlikely.”
The leader of the far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whose popularity has risen in the past weeks on the eve of the presidential election in April, marched at the front of the Paris demonstration.
The French Administrative Supreme Court maintained the ban on a march between the iconic Place de la Nation and Place de la Bastille in Paris, rejecting a union challenge. Instead, authorities authorized a route along avenues in the eastern part of the capital, away from the central shopping districts.
Participation was lower than in the two previous Saturdays of protests, with 320,000 protesters nationwide, including 70,000 in Paris, the Interior Ministry said, compared with 410,000 the previous week and 550,000 on October 17.
The Interior Ministry stated in a press release that “radical elements” with the intention of causing damage and looting tried to break away from the marches in cities such as Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon and Marseille, but were prevented by security forces.
It also added that security checks at railway stations and along motorways revealed the presence of people carrying objects that could be used as weapons.
Halloween Masks
Authorities warned that Halloween masks could be used to conceal the identity of those provoking disturbances. Interior Minister Laurent Núñez promised to prevent a repetition of the October 17 violence, noting that existing laws allow police to ban the wearing of masks when public order is threatened.
The unrest comes at a delicate moment for the government. On Friday, the rating agency Fitch unexpectedly revised the outlook for France’s debt to negative, underscoring investors’ concerns about the country’s finances. With public debt approaching 120% of GDP and borrowing costs rising, Macron’s government faces growing pressure to contain spending, limiting its room for maneuver.
The U.S. Embassy advised travelers to avoid areas where demonstrations or large gatherings were planned.
The protests gained momentum in late September, when Macron’s minority government began negotiations on the 2027 budget. Students, outraged by the deterioration of school conditions, overcrowded classrooms, and a university admissions system broadly considered unfair, have since received support from unions and a resurgent Yellow Vests movement that demands action to address the cost of living.
The government’s promises to reform education and ease fuel costs failed to calm the discontent.
“When I was little, they told me that young people were the future,” said Aaron Berthier de Grandry, a 15-year-old high school student from the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne, who planned to take part in his third consecutive weekend of protests.
“Well, if we, as the future of France, don’t have resources, that means France will end up collapsing.”
The unrest gave a political boost to far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who leads the opinion polls ahead of the April presidential election, while Macron’s potential centrist successors remain divided.
The disturbances are the latest blow to an economy that, according to data released on Friday, was already contracting in the third quarter.
The Chamber of Commerce estimates that losses for retail will exceed 1 billion euros (1.1 billion dollars). Other estimates put the figure at twice that amount when uninsured damages and lost revenues are included.
Along Paris’s main shopping avenues, Christmas lights shone around storefronts boarded up with planks and security grilles. Among the stores targeted by earlier disturbances were luxury brand outlets, including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry.
