Protestsupdated 54m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 17 October 2026French Police Fire Tear Gas, Clash With Protesters in Paris and Lyon Over Living Costs
“Adding to those fears: Halloween, which falls on Saturday.”
“police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters in a third weekend of nationwide demonstrations”
Photo: Jorge Jaramillo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Hundreds of thousands protested across France over rising costs and deteriorating public services. Police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters in Paris and Lyon.
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Halloween clashes in France
French police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters in Paris and elsewhere on Saturday as hundreds of thousands marched across France against soaring living costs and police violence, with some demonstrators dressed as clowns and witches for Halloween. The protests marked the third consecutive weekend of nationwide demonstrations, and tensions erupted in several cities later Saturday after a daytime rally in the suburbs of Paris. The French Interior Ministry said police detained more than 290 people at protests across the country, and the ministry said demonstrations progressed peacefully within the framework of the announced protests.
More than 320,000 people took to the streets around the country and at least 290 protesters were arrested, as police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters in Paris in the third weekend of nationwide demonstrations. Police say about 70,000 demonstrated in Paris, while police fired tear gas at protesters in Paris and Lyon as hundreds of thousands of mostly young people marched over the cost of living and the state of the country’s schools.
Masked rioters and officials
Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said, "What we’ve been seeing … is the police firing a lot of tear gas into this crowd," and she said her team "had to move out of the way because it was simply too much for us to breathe." Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said about 150 planned demonstrations had passed off peacefully, while Nuñez described an "extraordinary" level of violence from some rioters as the rallies ended. The French Interior Ministry said "extremist elements" in several cities, including Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Marseille, attempted to reach city centers to commit acts of vandalism and looting.
The Guardian reported that dozens of masked people dressed in black used hammers to pry up paving stones and hurl them at police, and it said police responded with teargas and baton charges. Police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters in Paris as the country prepared for a general strike in the coming days, linking the weekend protests to broader political planning.
Turnout, arrests, and next steps
The French Interior Ministry said 320,000 people participated in demonstrations across the country, including 70,000 in Paris, while youth organizations and student unions reported about half a million people demonstrated nationwide, including 200,000 in the capital.
The BBC said the authorities prepared extensively to avoid a repeat of the violence, rioting and looting that happened two weeks ago, and it said protests also took place in Albania, Germany and Italy as youth took to the streets across Europe.
Police carried out 511 arrests, and it said police in several cities fired teargas and stun grenades to disperse crowds joined by masked rioters as evening approached.
The government estimated 320,000 people protested nationwide Saturday, and mass protests on Oct. 17 drew more than 500,000 people and demonstrations on Oct. 24 drew 410,000 according to government estimates.
Student protesters vowed to stage new high school and university blockades on Tuesday and Thursday, and they would join the 5 November demonstration called by workers and trade unions.
