France to mobilise 70,000 security forces for Saturday protest, interior minister says
Authorities say 70,000 officers will be deployed nationwide as museums close and curfews and protest limits are imposed to prevent renewed looting and violence.
- On Friday, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced 70,000 police and gendarmes will deploy Saturday across France to maintain order amid threats of looting from the ultra-left.
- Nunez warned of social media calls to target public buildings, necessitating the massive deployment following recent unrest on October 17, which resulted in looting across several cities.
- In Orléans, authorities expect 10,000 to 15,000 counter-protesters to gather Saturday near the National Rally presidential campaign launch. Mayor Serge Grouard warned the city "must not become what we saw in Paris, Marseille or Rennes."
- Prefects banned or restricted gatherings in Lyon, Rouen, and Grenoble due to disorder risks, while authorities authorized one union march in Paris and Nunez promised to act "with great firmness" against troublemakers.
- A nationwide strike on November 5 has investors cautious, while prediction markets currently price a 7.0% chance of a state of emergency declaration by October 31.
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A large crowd of police and private security personnel as well as the laying of the demonstration out of the city centre caused a quiet demonstration during the day. In the evening there are smaller skirmishes in France's capital.
Demonstrations erupted again in France on Saturday (October 24, 2026). Police deployed 70,000 personnel to secure the demonstrations.
PARIS. Many demonstrations had been denied permission and at least 70,000 police and military personnel had been mobilized across France, a week after the worst riots in living memory. About 410,000 students, teachers and left-wing activists demonstrated peacefully. But towards the end of Saturday, unrest broke out in several parts of the country.
Hundreds of protests are held across France
Hundreds of protests were held in France Saturday as nationwide anger grows over the cost of living, with security forces massing to prevent a repeat of violence that marred demonstrations last week, AFP reported.
Only limited incidents disturb general peaceful demonstrations and exceptional security measures
Silence before the storm?
A woman walks past the boarded-up ground-floor windows of a historic building in Bordeaux, France, on Friday, ahead of a demonstration planned for yesterday. About 70,000 security personnel were deployed yesterday, French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez said.
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