Hundreds of Thousands Rally Across France as Clashes Erupt in Paris

WHO:

NY Post - Left-wing movements were seeking to oust President Emmanuel Macron from office in upcoming elections.

PBS - President Emmanuel Macron was challenged by demonstrators, including students seeking education funding and workers concerned about living costs.

PBS - The far-right National Rally party accused Macron’s government of failing to protect the public and urged people to support its candidate, Marine Le Pen.

PBS - Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon backed demonstrators and criticized policing that had left some teenage protesters with life-changing injuries.

PBS - Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police made nearly 1,000 arrests; he expected the count to increase significantly.

PBS - Teacher Bénédicte Pittion, 46, marched with her daughter Garance, 16, a high school student. Pittion said: “The young people who have been demonstrating have not been heard, and as a parent and as a teacher, I stand with them.”

PBS - Garance said she had been “really scared” by the previous weekend’s violence but believed staying away would hand the government a victory.

PBS - Nurse Soumaya Abed, 58, said restricting Paris marchers to the outskirts would not stop students from demanding better school conditions.

PBS - Camille Chesnier, 27, said she had not found work despite holding engineering and master’s degrees.

PBS - Akram Ahmed, 34, a contractor, said a shop owner had called him to board up an optician’s storefront: “He said I was saving his life.”

WHAT:

NY Post - France faced nearly 800 protests and clashes between police and demonstrators.

PBS - More than 400,000 people rallied across France over school funding and rising living costs. The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 participants, down from 550,000 the previous weekend; the CGT union estimated nearly 800,000.

PBS - Police used tear gas, sound grenades and water cannons after masked protesters threw objects and fireworks near the Paris march’s endpoint. Nuñez said 70,000 officers, supported by helicopters and armored vehicles, helped prevent a repeat of widespread looting.

PBS - The Interior Ministry counted 289 protests nationwide. Fires burned in Marseille and Lyon; police used tear gas in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg and Bordeaux, and water cannons in Nice and Nantes.

PBS - In Nice, far-right extremists fought demonstrators; regional authorities reported 11 arrests.

PBS - Student groups sought 250,000 additional higher-education places, an end to selection through Parcoursup, more teachers, school and university repairs, an extra 200 euros ($224) monthly in student grants, and a freeze on public student-housing rents.

WHERE:

PBS - Authorities counted 110,000 demonstrators in Paris; the CGT estimated 250,000. Authorities confined the march to southeastern Paris.

PBS - Marseille police counted 17,000 demonstrators, while the CGT estimated 100,000. Authorities reported 26,500 participants in Toulouse.

PBS - Authorities banned rallies in Lyon, Nice and Montpellier. Thousands marched peacefully in Orléans against the far right.

PBS - The Louvre and other major Paris museums closed exceptionally; gendarmes guarded the Arc de Triomphe, and shopkeepers boarded storefronts.

WHEN:

PBS - The Paris march began peacefully and clashes erupted as it ended; violence also broke out at dusk.

PBS - Macron met high school representatives on Friday. Art Basel opened to the public on Friday but canceled its weekend program because of unrest concerns.

PBS - INSEE reported French energy prices were 21.3% higher in September than a year earlier, with overall inflation at 3.1%.

WHY:

PBS - Protests began over high-school staff shortages and demands for education funding, then spread as workers sought help with fuel and other everyday costs.

PBS - Protesters also cited poverty, wealth inequality, unemployment and concerns about education policies.

HOW:

PBS - Macron met student representatives, who said he promised to overhaul university admissions; they called for protests to continue until concrete measures were announced.

PBS - Unions condemned rally bans as violations of constitutionally protected freedom of expression.

(UPDATED October 24, 2026 22:02 UTC)

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across France over education funding and the rising cost of living, as protests spread to nearly 800 locations and clashes broke out with police. The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 participants, while the CGT union put the total at nearly 800,000. Demonstrators called for more teachers, school repairs and expanded student grants, as well as help with fuel and other household costs. In Paris, where authorities counted 110,000 marchers, the demonstration was peaceful until masked protesters threw objects and fireworks near its endpoint. Police responded with tear gas, sound grenades and water cannons; Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said officers had made nearly 1,000 arrests. Fires and clashes were reported in several cities, and authorities said 70,000 officers were deployed nationwide. President Emmanuel Macron met student representatives, who said he promised to overhaul university admissions. They urged protests to continue until concrete measures are announced.