World · Explainer · UB-126
One week after the riots: protesters march again from Paris and Milan to Tirana, Madrid and Lisbon
Published 25-10-2026 · UB-126 · · ✓ 5 linked sources
Olnnu / CC BY-SA 3.0Governments answered with soldiers, curfews and mass searches. Most marches on 24 October were peaceful, with clashes in France, Italy and Albania.
France: about 410,000 people marched by official count, under a 70,000-strong security operation; 135 were arrested and clashes broke out in Paris, Lyon and Nantes (Al Jazeera, CBS News).
Italy: 500 more soldiers were sent to Milan; police charged protesters in Turin and carried out more than 150 searches over last week's looting (Al Jazeera, Il Sole 24 Ore).
Albania: protesters set government buildings on fire in Tirana as 2,500 police were deployed (AP).
Spain: thousands of retirees marched in Madrid to defend public pensions (AP).
Portugal: housing protesters marched across Lisbon (AP).
Next: the "yellow vest" movement has called a protest in France for 31-10-2026, and Italy's October 17 Movement has said it will march every Saturday (Al Jazeera, AP).