Hundreds of thousands of people marched across France on Saturday 24 October 2026 in protests over the cost of living, school conditions and public services, with clashes in several cities after largely peaceful daytime demonstrations.

France's Interior Ministry estimated 410,000 people took part nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT union put the national figure at close to 800,000 and the Paris figure at 250,000. The two counts come from different sources and should not be treated as a single agreed total.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said nearly 1,000 people had been arrested, a provisional figure he expected to rise, and that two people were seriously injured, one in Toulouse and one in Clermont-Ferrand. About 70,000 police officers were deployed nationwide.

In Paris, the main march from Porte d'Italie to Porte de Vincennes began peacefully but clashes broke out near its end, with masked protesters throwing objects and fireworks and police responding with tear gas, sound grenades and water cannon. Clashes and fires were also reported in Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes and other cities, and major cultural venues in Paris, including the Louvre, closed for the day.

The protests grew from student concerns about school funding and facilities into a wider movement over everyday costs, inequality and strained public services.

Sources: BBC/AP reporting of Interior Ministry figures; France protests summary, 24 October 2026.