France: hundreds of thousands march again under a 70,000-strong security operation; 135 arrested

Hundreds of thousands of people marched across France on 24-10-2026, a week after the worst rioting in years. The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 demonstrators nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris; the CGT union said 800,000, including 250,000 in Paris, Al Jazeera reported. More than 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed, 20% more than the previous weekend.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 135 people had been arrested and that there had been "no major incident". Police seized metal balls, fireworks, slingshots and improvised weapons, CBS News reported. In Paris, the prosecutor's office said 64 people were arrested, including six minors, and police checked more than 3,000 people.

Clashes broke out in Paris late in the evening after a largely peaceful march, and police used tear gas and a water cannon. In Nantes, thousands broke through police lines, and tear gas was also fired in Lyon, Marseille, Clermont-Ferrand and Strasbourg. There was no repeat of the looting of 17 October.

The aftermath

Authorities banned the central Paris route from Bastille to Nation, closed at least 24 metro stations and shut the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay for the day. A night curfew for unaccompanied minors in Lille and nearby towns was extended until Monday morning, Anadolu reported. President Emmanuel Macron met student representatives on 23-10-2026 and promised more teachers and an overhaul of the Parcoursup university admissions system; students said tensions had not been defused. The "yellow vest" movement has called a protest for 31-10-2026.