# France puts 70,000 police on the streets and restricts marches before Saturday protests

Protests & Society · 23 October 2026 · Paris, France
URL: https://connectthedots.news/event/2026-10-23-france-puts-70-000-police-on-the-streets-and-restricts-marches-before

> Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced about 70,000 police and gendarmes for the 24 October protests as cities restricted or banned marches and Macron met student representatives.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on 23 October that about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed nationwide for the 24 October protests, with helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannons, about 20 percent more than the previous weekend. He said radical far-left groups had called on social media for violence and looting and that police would be "absolutely uncompromising". [1][3]

Paris marches were limited to a route between Bastille and Nation, and protesters in Orléans, where Marine Le Pen's National Rally opens its congress, were barred from the city centre; the prefect expected 20,000 to 30,000 counter-demonstrators. France 24 reported that Lyon and Marseille banned demonstrations, with one union march allowed in Marseille on an "exceptional basis". The Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais were to close, and Art Basel cut its weekend programme. Amnesty International called the measures "a slide toward authoritarian practice". [1][2][3]

President Emmanuel Macron met high-school student representatives at the Élysée for the first time since the protests began; student groups said he promised to overhaul the Parcoursup admissions system but called for "continued mobilisation". Macron called for "the utmost severity" against delinquency, accused "ultra-left" groups of trying to bring down the republic and postponed a visit to Nigeria and Senegal. [1][2]

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said courts had sent 217 people to prison over the 17 October violence, half of them first-time offenders, and Nuñez said nearly 500 people had been identified and arrested. Private-sector unions called a strike for 5 November. Turnout, clashes and arrests on 24 October had not been reported in the sources at the time of writing. [1][2]

## Who was involved

- [Laurent Nuñez](https://connectthedots.news/person/laurent-nunez): Announced the 70,000-strong security deployment [1][3]
- [Emmanuel Macron](https://connectthedots.news/person/emmanuel-macron): Met student representatives and called for severity against violence [1][2]
- [Gérald Darmanin](https://connectthedots.news/person/gerald-darmanin): Said 217 people were jailed over the 17 October violence [1]
- [Amnesty International](https://connectthedots.news/org/amnesty-international): Criticised the protest restrictions [1]
- [National Rally](https://connectthedots.news/org/national-rally): Holds its congress in Orléans, target of a counter-protest [1][3]

## Linked stories

- Follow-up of: [France to deploy troops to support police before 24 October protests](https://connectthedots.news/event/2026-10-20-france-to-deploy-troops-for-weekend-protests) (20 October 2026)

## Sources

1. France 24 (AFP), "France to deploy 70,000 police ahead of new protests", 23 October 2026: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20261023-france-braces-for-new-protests-as-macron-seeks-to-restore-order
2. France 24, "French student groups call for protests to continue after meeting with Macron", 23 October 2026: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20261023-macron-meets-with-student-representatives-and-law-enforcement-ahead-of-new-protests
3. Euronews, "France bolsters security as businesses fear renewed unrest during Saturday protests", 23 October 2026: https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/23/france-bolster-security-for-protests-as-businesses-fear-renewed-unrest