Protestsupdated 17m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 17 October 2026France Protests Against Rising Costs Draw 146,000; Police Clash With Protesters in Paris
3 Other1 West Asian1 Western MainstreamPhoto: Jorge Jaramillo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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About 146,000 people protested nationwide, including 46,000 in Paris. Clashes occurred in Paris and Lyon during the fourth consecutive weekend.
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Fourth Weekend, Paris Clashes
France saw a fourth consecutive weekend of protests against rising costs, with the Ministry of the Interior saying about 146,000 people rallied across the country on Saturday, including 46,000 in Paris. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned authorities would be “ready and waiting” for anyone engaging in rioting or looting, as clashes broke out between police and some protesters in Paris.
Police charging at protesters and using tear gas appeared in footage posted online by the CLPRESS news agency, and a police officer was also seen hitting a protester with a baton. In Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred people blocking a road during an unauthorised gathering, and the protests came as France’s upcoming presidential election is due to be held in April.
Turnout Disputes, Detentions
Unions put the figure at 250,000 protesters nationwide, including 75,000 in the capital, while the government counted 146,000 and reported 360 detentions. France 24 said a coalition of unions representing organizations of institutes, universities, and faculty called for another day of strikes and demonstrations on Tuesday, as the mobilization shrank compared with the previous week.
Théo Jamin, a 31-year-old university professor, told France 24 that “We know they will pay us for our absences” and that people must “recover the lost teaching time, and we are still here”. In Paris, the inter-union youth group estimated the turnout at 75,000 and 250,000 nationwide, and the inter-union youth group said the marches were organized from Place de la République to Place de la Nation, with clashes occurring at the end of the march.
Negotiations and Next Calls
The protests began at the end of September with high school students demanding better conditions in their schools, and the demonstrations later expanded to demands tied to the cost of living, wages, and the deterioration of public services. France 24 said the “fact that negotiations with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu are going to begin on Monday at Matignon does not mean the mobilization should end,” as Vincent Gautheron, general secretary of the regional CGT union, spoke.
El Litoral said participation fell sharply on Saturday compared with previous calls, and it cited 146,000 people demonstrated in France on Saturday and 46,000 in Paris. El Litoral also said the authorized demonstration in Paris started from Place de la République and ended at Place de la Nation, where clashes occurred between about 200 individuals and the police as the government prepared for meetings on Monday.