French authorities mobilize ahead of planned protests
With concerns growing over a possible escalation of civil unrest, French authorities have deployed 70,000 officers across the country ahead of planned weekend demonstrations. Jonathan Hunt reports from Paris, where businesses have been boarded up and riot police are maintaining a heavy presence. Rice University senior lecturer Craig Considine also joins the discussion to examine the mobilization of far-left groups across Europe following the violence on October 17.
French police had arrested 135 people by Saturday as nationwide demonstrations resumed, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters.
Reuters reported that many of the arrests followed preventive searches of protesters. Those detained allegedly possessed items that could be used as weapons, including fireworks and ball bearings.
Nuñez did not say where the arrests took place. In Paris, where tens of thousands of demonstrators were marching, police said they had carried out more than 3,000 checks and arrested 65 people, according to the BBC.
“Violent individuals have no place in the marches,” the Paris Police Department said in a social media post. “The objective is clear: to prevent troublemakers from joining the procession and to ensure the safety of the demonstrators.”
Thousands of protesters march through the streets of Paris, France, on Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Central Paris took on the appearance of a city under lockdown. Storefronts were covered with boards, museums shut their doors and more than 20 metro stations suspended service.
Police in several other cities, including Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille and Nice, used tear gas to disperse unruly crowds, Reuters reported.
In Nice, officers also deployed a water cannon against demonstrators who refused to move back. Clashes between police and hooded youths were reported in Marseille and Lyon.
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A protester carrying a French flag and a sign walks through tear gas during a demonstration in Lyon, France, on Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
About 70,000 police officers have been mobilized throughout France to contain agitators and prevent a repeat of the unrest seen during recent demonstrations. Those disturbances included torched vehicles and a fire at the city hall in Limoges.
More than 2,700 people were arrested last weekend after protests descended into riots and looting.
The nationwide marches reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the French government, as demonstrators took to the streets over a range of grievances.
Police officers detain protesters during a demonstration in Strasbourg, France, on Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
The demonstrations began several weeks earlier, led initially by high school and university students angered by teacher shortages and deteriorating conditions in schools, including overcrowded classrooms and aging buildings.
The movement expanded after major labor unions joined the protests. Their participation widened the agenda to include opposition to the government’s austerity measures, as well as concerns about wages, pensions and the rising cost of living.
