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

Protests & Society · 24 October 2026 · Paris, France
URL: https://connectthedots.news/event/2026-10-24-frances-interior-ministry-counts-410-000-protesters-and-nearly-1-000

> 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.

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. [1][2][3]

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. [1][2]

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. [1][2]

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. [1][2]

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. [1][2][4]

## Who was involved

- [Laurent Nuñez](https://connectthedots.news/person/laurent-nunez): Announced nearly 1,000 arrests and blamed violence on a radical minority [1][2]
- [Ministry of the Interior (France)](https://connectthedots.news/org/french-interior-ministry): Counted 410,000 protesters nationwide, 110,000 in Paris [1][3]
- [General Confederation of Labour](https://connectthedots.news/org/general-confederation-of-labour): Claimed about 800,000 marchers nationwide [2][3]
- [Jean-Luc Mélenchon](https://connectthedots.news/person/jean-luc-melenchon): Urged Macron to give in and accused police of firing tear gas indiscriminately [1]
- [National Rally](https://connectthedots.news/org/national-rally): Opened its Orléans congress and re-elected Jordan Bardella as president [1][4]
- [2026 French student protest movement](https://connectthedots.news/org/french-student-protest-movement): Protests over school conditions and living costs entered a second mass Saturday [2][3]

## How others covered it

Sides: Government of France vs 2026 French student protest movement. "Favours" is our reading of each article (see /sources#method).

- Al Jazeera, 24 October 2026: "Hundreds of thousands protest in France amid heightened police security" [balanced] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/24/france-braces-for-another-day-of-mass-protests-as-security-on-high-alert
- Euronews, 24 October 2026: "Bardella wins 99% backing as Le Pen gears up for French presidential race" https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/24/bardella-wins-99-backing-as-le-pen-gears-up-for-french-presidential-race
- France 24, 24 October 2026: "Live: Nearly 1,000 arrests on the sidelines of Saturday's protests, says government" [balanced] https://www.france24.com/en/france/20261024-live-hundreds-of-protests-expected-in-france-amid-high-tensions-and-heavy-police-presence
- CBS News, 24 October 2026: "Clashes break out between police and protesters in France after largely peaceful demonstrations" [balanced] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paris-france-new-protests-riots-museums-shops/
- Fox News, 24 October 2026: "Clashes erupt in Paris as at least 400,000 march across France" [favours Government of France] https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/france-protests-paris-rioting-looting-10-24-26

## Linked stories

- Follow-up of: [France puts 70,000 police on the streets and restricts marches before Saturday protests](https://connectthedots.news/event/2026-10-23-france-puts-70-000-police-on-the-streets-and-restricts-marches-before) (23 October 2026)

## Sources

1. France 24, "Live: Nearly 1,000 arrests on the sidelines of Saturday's protests, says government", 24 October 2026: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20261024-live-hundreds-of-protests-expected-in-france-amid-high-tensions-and-heavy-police-presence
2. CBS News, "Clashes break out between police and protesters in France after largely peaceful demonstrations", 24 October 2026: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paris-france-new-protests-riots-museums-shops/
3. Al Jazeera, "Hundreds of thousands protest in France amid heightened police security", 24 October 2026: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/24/france-braces-for-another-day-of-mass-protests-as-security-on-high-alert
4. Euronews, "Bardella wins 99% backing as Le Pen gears up for French presidential race", 24 October 2026: https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/24/bardella-wins-99-backing-as-le-pen-gears-up-for-french-presidential-race