Madar (International) - French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said nearly 1,000 people had been arrested on Saturday, October 24, 2026, during another day of mass protests across France over the cost of living and poor school conditions, adding that the number would increase, the BBC reported.
The interior ministry estimated that about 410,000 people took part, while unions put the figure at about 800,000. At least 110,000 marched in Paris alone, according to government estimates cited by The Guardian. Some 70,000 police officers were deployed, after President Emmanuel Macron decreed this week that only demonstrations organised by recognised trade unions would be permitted.
After a day of largely peaceful marches, clashes broke out at the end of the Paris march from Porte d'Italie towards Porte de Vincennes, and police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in several cities. Barricades were set alight in Marseille and tear gas was used in Lyon. "Several thousand radical activists gathered at the rear of the march, including around 500 individuals identified as rioters," Nunez said, according to AFP.
The minister said two people had been seriously injured, one in Toulouse and another in Clermont-Ferrand. The crisis began with high school protests in mid-September over staff shortages, crumbling buildings and overcrowded classrooms, which were later joined by trade unions, teachers and parents, according to The Guardian.
In Orleans, about 13,000 people joined a peaceful rally against the far-right National Rally as it held its congress, while other European cities, including Tirana, Brussels and Milan, also saw protests.
