1,200 detained during protests in France — The Japan Times
Violent clashes erupted across France on Saturday as mass protests against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services led to approximately 1,200 detentions, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced. The demonstrations, which drew hundreds of thousands of participants to dozens of cities, marked a significant escalation of unrest that has gripped the nation.
While the majority of participants marched peacefully, separate groups launched attacks on government buildings, police vehicles and law enforcement officers. Rioters also looted shops and supermarkets in several urban centers. In Limoges, demonstrators set the city hall building ablaze. Marseille witnessed protesters dressed in black storming the city hall and spray-painting anarchist graffiti on the structure. A tourist office in Lyon was torched during the disturbances.
The situation in Paris grew tense as police deployed tear gas to disperse crowds. Rioters attempted to force their way into the Galeries Lafayette department store, vandalized banks, and ransacked a Lacoste retail outlet and an SFR mobile operator shop. Throughout the day, they ignited objects in the streets, including automobiles.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who was appointed to his position on October 12, 2025, after serving as Paris Police Prefect from 2022 to 2025, estimated that around 550,000 people participated in the actions nationwide. The CGT, one of France's major labor unions with a long history of organizing mass protests and strikes, placed the figure significantly higher at 800,000.
Lecornu, who became France's fifth Prime Minister in less than two years when President Emmanuel Macron appointed him on September 9, 2025, attributed the violence to far-left groups and criminals. He emphasized that the government would not tolerate a political agenda being imposed through violence. President Macron pledged accountability for those involved in the attacks.
Historical echoes and economic pressures
The October 17 protests evoked comparisons to the Yellow Vest movement that emerged in 2018 against social injustice and a planned government fuel tax hike. The demonstrations come as France grapples with a major public debt crisis, with the government attempting to pass a 2027 budget containing austerity measures through a hung parliament following snap legislative elections in 2024. Purchasing power in France has dwindled since 2024, while fuel prices have soared since the start of the US-Iran war earlier in 2026.
The current wave of protests began in September 2026 with school blockades over education issues, expanding by early October to include multiple trade unions and broader social demands. What initially started last month in working-class northern suburbs of Paris over teacher shortages and poor educational facility conditions has since grown into a nationwide movement addressing inequality, public spending and living standards.
Casualties and police conduct under scrutiny
According to demonstrators, most protesters acted peacefully, with violence perpetrated by individuals seeking to cause damage and confront police. Prime Minister Lecornu reported that more than 150 police officers sustained injuries during Saturday's protests. Interior Minister Nuñez confirmed reports of a person who lost a hand during clashes with law enforcement; French media indicated the individual had attempted to pick up a stun grenade.
The incident followed France's suspension of stun grenade use at student protests on October 7, 2026, after a 15-year-old lost a hand during earlier demonstrations. Police tactics have drawn criticism after demonstrators suffered injuries, and the police oversight body is investigating at least two dozen allegations of excessive force.
Regional demonstrations
Smaller protests over the rising cost of living also occurred in Belgium, Portugal and Italy on Saturday. In Albania, students continued demonstrations for the fifth consecutive day, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has governed with his centre-left Socialist Party since 2013. The Albanian protests, which began on October 13, 2026, initially focused on better university conditions and lower tuition fees before expanding to broader calls addressing corruption, lack of jobs and education system problems.
