On Saturday, demonstrations in France against the rising cost of living turned violent in Paris and Lyon, with further unrest reported in other locations, according to the Police Prefecture and sources from the Ministry of the Interior.
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In Paris, the day began with clashes at the Place de la République. The Prefecture reported that several hundred individuals, identified as members of far-left groups, threw projectiles at police officers and gendarmes. Some participants also damaged building facades, prying loose stones.
Security forces responded with tear gas and moved to disperse the violent groups. Despite these incidents, the march began its route at 2:15 p.m. local time (12:15 GMT), moving from the Place de la République toward the Place de Clichy, even as police operations continued in the area.
By 2:00 p.m. local time, authorities had made 133 arrests in Paris—primarily for alleged participation in groups organized to commit acts of violence or cause property damage, as well as for assaults on law enforcement officers. Additionally, police conducted 1,046 preventive security checks throughout the day.
Protests in #Paris and #Tunis put rising prices and deteriorating living standards in focus, as demonstrators demand economic relief and social rights. #France #Tunisia https://t.co/IlS12uwV3G
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2026
In Lyon, in southeastern France, a group of protesters smashed the windows of a tourist office located in the central Place de Bellecour and set it on fire, according to footage broadcast live by BFM TV.
The French government had previously warned of a high risk of unrest during the protests across various cities in the country. Sources close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez indicated that, by midday, 140 protest actions and 32,800 participants had been recorded across the provinces, while the total number of arrests throughout France had reached 166.
“There is a very high probability that the far-left will cause the afternoon demonstrations to turn violent,” the same sources stated, also reporting targeted acts of violence in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse, and Angers.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the incidents included attempted looting, attacks on security forces, the setting of fires to street furniture, and actions directed against institutions and media outlets.
In Marseille, several businesses were vandalized, and a municipal police station sustained damage. Additionally, a group forced open the doors of City Hall and briefly entered the lobby before being stopped.
Thousands of French people continued to protest and block educational centers just hours before student organizations held a new meeting with the Education Ministry, the third since the protests began more than two weeks ago.
Among the blocked institutions is the Paris School of… pic.twitter.com/yjld03PtLt
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 15, 2026
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