France will deploy a 70,000-strong police presence across the country on Saturday, 31 October, as fresh nationwide protests coincide with Halloween. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has described the day as carrying a very high risk of unrest and promised an extremely firm response to any trouble. The United States Embassy has advised travellers to avoid areas where demonstrations or large gatherings are planned.

Why protests have returned to the streets

The demonstrations gathered pace in late September, as President Emmanuel Macron's minority government opened talks on the 2027 budget. Public debt is approaching 120 per cent of economic output, leaving the government under pressure to rein in spending while households complain about living costs and strained public services. What began with students angry at dilapidated schools, crowded classes and a university admissions system widely seen as unfair has since drawn in trade unions and a re-emergent Yellow Vest movement demanding action on the cost of living.

The shadow of two weeks ago

The scale of the police operation reflects what happened two weeks earlier, when riots and looting caught security forces off guard and left damaged shops, public buildings and businesses in cities across France. A similar 70,000-officer deployment last Saturday helped avert a repeat, according to the government, which said 410,000 people took part in marches that day. This time, however, ministers are alert to an added complication: Halloween masks could be used to conceal identities, although police already have powers to ban face coverings when public order is at risk.

A movement spreading beyond France

The unrest is also spreading beyond France's borders, with youth-led demonstrations planned in more than 30 German cities on Saturday, inspired by the French protests. At home, the political stakes are rising: the unrest has handed a boost to far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who leads opinion polls ahead of April's presidential election, while potential centrist successors to Macron remain divided. Data published on Friday showed the French economy already shrinking in the third quarter, and the Chamber of Commerce estimates retailer losses above €1 billion. Along Paris's main shopping boulevards, early Christmas lights now glow around boarded-up windows — a visible reminder that Saturday's marches will be judged as much by the evening as by the daytime demonstrations.

Sources: Reuters; Reuters.