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France's interior ministry counts 410,000 protesters and nearly 1,000 arrests; unions claim 800,000

The second Saturday of nationwide cost-of-living and school protests in France was largely peaceful but ended in clashes in Paris and other cities, with nearly 1,000 arrests, the interior minister said.

File photo: Paris, Île-de-France
File photo: Paris, Île-de-France

Photo: Yann Caradec from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0

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The interior ministry put nationwide turnout for the 24 October protests over the cost of living and school conditions at 410,000, including 110,000 in Paris, slightly below its count of 550,000 the previous Saturday. The CGT union said about 800,000 people marched, including 250,000 in Paris.1France 242CBS News3Al Jazeera

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said nearly 1,000 people were arrested nationwide and that the figure would likely rise. He said the marches went well in most cities but police then faced "an extremely elevated level of violence", and that about 500 people at the back of the Paris march were rioters. The Paris prosecutor's office said 64 people were arrested in the capital, six of them minors, and police said they checked more than 3,000 people.1France 242CBS News

After a calm start, police used tear gas and water cannon near Porte de Vincennes in Paris, and clashes or tear gas were reported in Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse, Lille, Rennes, Bordeaux, Nice and Marseille. In Toulouse a young protester was seriously injured in the hand; the prefecture said the circumstances were unknown. Nuñez said some shops were looted but on a far smaller scale than the week before, when about 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted.1France 242CBS News

France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon urged President Emmanuel Macron to "give in", said protests would continue every week and accused police of firing tear gas "indiscriminately" at the end of the Paris march. A union representative called the change of the Paris route "scandalous", and the Yellow Vests called another day of protest for 31 October.1France 242CBS News

In Orléans, the National Rally opened the congress at which Marine Le Pen is to launch her 2027 presidential campaign on 25 October, and re-elected Jordan Bardella as party president with 98.98% of the vote. Police counted 11,000 people at a counter-march against the far right; organisers said 26,000.1France 242CBS News4Euronews

How others covered it

1 favours Government of France, 3 balanced, 1 not analysed. Sides in this story: Government of France vs 2026 French student protest movement. Our reading of each article; how we decide.

Favours Government of France

  • Fox NewsConservative; described by researchers as close to the Republican Party (reported)Clashes erupt in Paris as at least 400,000 march across France
    Why
    • Uses one side's terms: "In Paris, clashes started breaking out between police and agitators, while dozens have been arrested." Uses the police word 'agitators' for those clashing with officers.
    • Leaves out the other side: "hijacked by those who simply wanted to commit acts of violence" Correspondent echoes the government account; the page carries Macron's 'ultra-left' charge but not the criticism of police by Mélenchon or unions reported by France 24 and CBS/AP.

Balanced

Not analysed

Where it happened

Who is involved

The story so far

7 linked stories, oldest first. This story is highlighted.

  1. Half a million join youth-led cost-of-living protests across FranceStudents, unions and yellow-vest groups marched over living costs and fuel prices; dozens were detained in Paris.
  2. Limoges town hall set on fire during riotsThe 19th-century building was "largely lost" to fire; a suspect on a security watchlist was later held.
  3. Protesters break into Marseille town hallProtesters rammed the door with security barriers before police intervened.
  4. Curfews imposed in Paris, Lyon and other citiesParts of Paris and Lyon went under overnight curfew; more than 2,500 people were in custody.
  5. France to deploy troops to support police before 24 October protestsSoldiers will free up police for crowd control as a new day of protest is called.
  6. France puts 70,000 police on the streets and restricts marches before Saturday protestsInterior 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.
  7. France's interior ministry counts 410,000 protesters and nearly 1,000 arrests; unions claim 800,000The second Saturday of nationwide cost-of-living and school protests in France was largely peaceful but ended in clashes in Paris and other cities, with nearly 1,000 arrests, the interior minister said.
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    Sources

    1. 1
      Live: Nearly 1,000 arrests on the sidelines of Saturday's protests, says governmentFrance 24Controlled by France's government (owner) 24 October 2026france24.com
    2. 2
    3. 3
      Hundreds of thousands protest in France amid heightened police securityAl JazeeraControlled by Qatar's government (owner) 24 October 2026aljazeera.com
    4. 4
      Bardella wins 99% backing as Le Pen gears up for French presidential raceEuronewsPurchase partly financed by the Hungarian state: €45 million (Direkt36, Le Monde, Expresso); Alpac denied public money (reported) 24 October 2026euronews.com

    Cited: France 24, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Euronews. Who these outlets are.