ENDED · Al Jazeera · 26 updates
France protests live: 135 arrested as marches held under tight security
Live updates, newest first
Our coverage continues
This live page is now closed. For the latest on France’s protests, read our story here, and our coverage of Italy’s demonstrations here.
French authorities say more than 400,000 protested nationwide
Roughly 410,000 people rallied across France today, with 110,000 in Paris, France’s Interior Ministry has said. The CGT, one of the unions organising the protests, estimated 800,000 nationwide protesters, about 250,000 of whom were in Paris.
conchovalleyhomepage.com
1 more NewsBreak article
Here’s what happened today
This live page will soon close. But before we go, here’s a look at some of the top recent developments: The French Interior Ministry says more than 400,000 protested nationwide, around a quarter of whom were in Paris, while one of the unions that organised the protests estimates 800,000, with 250,0…
whec.com
1 more NewsBreak article
More than 400,000 protest across France, challenging Macron as Paris clashes erupt
conchovalleyhomepage.com
‘Energy is changing’ on the streets of Paris as official march ends
It seems that some people are getting more excited as the protest nears its endpoint here. We’re also getting reports, just in the last few minutes, of some scuffles with police in other parts of Paris. The energy is changing here. After a mostly peaceful afternoon, the question is what is going to…
conchovalleyhomepage.com
‘Protesters aren’t just people who like violence’, says Paris demonstrator
A 17-year-old protester in France has pushed back against media coverage overemphasising the looting and property destruction that unfolded last weekend. “I’m here to protest for all the high schoolers who got beaten by the police,” the student told Al Jazeera in Paris. “We haven’t been listened to…
Police fire tear gas in central Paris
Our correspondent on the ground is reporting some tension in central Paris. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd. At the last minute, police ordered the march to be moved from Bastille in the capital’s centre to the southeastern edge of the city.
2news.com
1 more NewsBreak article
Huge crowd in Paris
Thousands of people have joined the protest in the French capital. One of the protesters marching along the designated route said he had “never” seen such a big crowd in his life. The light rain and cold temperature failed to dampen the spirit of the protesters, many of whom chanted slogans against…
Demonstrators in Bordeaux set up barricade, throw projectiles: police
Police in the city of Bordeaux in southwest France are warning that some protesters are setting up barricades, throwing projectiles and “attacking law enforcement”, without providing more details. A brief video shared by the prefecture on X showed people in hoods and masks removing wooden slabs fro…
Front of Paris march ends without incident
The front of the official march in south-eastern Paris has ended “without incident”, the AFP news agency reports. Police watched on as people began peeling away from the Porte de Vincennes, some chanting “We are not happy”. Although the march unfolded in a calm and festive atmosphere, there was wid…
Cost-of-living protests also anticipated in Italy
Security forces have been deployed across multiple Italian cities in advance of expected demonstrations later today. Riot police gathered in Rome as surveillance helicopters hovered over Milan’s central Piazza Del Duomo, where hundreds of soldiers also roamed the streets. Italy this week approved t…
2news.com
Europe’s ‘crisis of the social contract’ on display in France
The protests in France are a reflection of deepening “political decay” gripping Paris and Europe writ large, according to Gregoire Roos from Chatham House. “The broader background is a country that has lost its direction, with weak political leadership,” the director of the think tank’s Europe, Rus…
Diversion of protesters is ‘scandalous’, union rep says
A union representative has slammed the police order forcing Paris protesters to the southeastern rim of the city. It’s “scandalous” that President Emmanuel Macron forbade protesters from demonstrating “where we wish to demonstrate”, union representative Murielle Guilbert said in comments reported b…
‘They’re scared of us’: Protesters pledge to keep up fight despite police pressure
Speaking to Al Jazeera in southeastern Paris, demonstrators have railed against the authorities’ decision to push the march to the edge of the city. “They’re scared. They’re scared of us,” said one protester, Lena, as she brandished a sign above her head. “They know we’re angry, and they know we wa…
Riot police fire tear gas against protesters in several cities
Police have fired tear gas against protesters in multiple cities, AFP is reporting. Journalists saw riot squads use tear gas in Lyon, Lille, Toulouse and Nantes. We’ll bring you more as we have it.
cbsnews.com
1 more NewsBreak article
What are the protests about?
Since mid-September, high school students have been protesting against teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated school buildings. Their demands for education reforms have grown into a nationwide movement to channel mounting anger over failing public services, rising living costs an…
Protests are ‘total victory for the social movement’, leftist leader says
Jean-Luc Melenchon has said attempts by police to quash protests are a “total failure”. The head of the left-wing party France Unbowed (La France Insoumise or LFI) wrote on X that marchers at the newly authorised location were “flowing calmly” across several kilometres. “Total victory for the socia…
Moving of march ‘a gov’t tactic to run movement out of steam’
Thousands of people are marching in the capital, Paris, in what they call the Second Act, after more than half a million people poured in the streets in nationwide protests that turned violent last weekend. It is a very different scene compared with October 17. The situation is calm, and protesters…
2news.com
Photos: Tens of thousands fill the streets of French cities
Protesters march in Paris [Sameer al-Doumy/AFP]Protesters hold signs in Marseille [Thibaud Moritz/AFP]A protester holds a French flag bearing a Gen Z sign in Paris [Aris Messinis/AFP]Clients at a cafe as protesters march past in Montpellier [Sylvain Thomas/AFP]
2news.com
‘Frustration and anger’ as police divert demonstrations to edge of Paris
There was a lot of back-and-forth between the unions and the prefecture of the police, who initially banned an earlier route. There’s a lot of frustration and anger that they’ve been forced to take this protest to the edge of the city. This is about as far as you can come to the edge of Paris where…
Paris police say all is ‘calm’
Police have issued a statement on social media accompanied by aerial footage, saying all is “calm” in the streets of Paris. Tout est calme dans les rues de Paris, le dispositif de la @prefpolice est en place, au sol et dans les airs, afin de permettre aux manifestants de pouvoir défiler en toute sé…
Calm in Paris centre, but city ‘bracing’ to see whether protesters defy ban
We’re about an hour after this planned protest was supposed to start at Bastille – the original route of the protest that has now been pushed to southeast Paris. There is still a police presence, but not a very heavy one. As people approach the square, officers sometimes check their bags. And they…
Large counter-demonstration in Orleans against far right
Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, National Rally, is holding its party congress in Orleans, marking the start of its presidential campaign. The event drew 11,000 counterprotesters to the city, according to France’s Interior Ministry, while protest organisers said 26,000 participants attended the cou…
france24.com
1 more NewsBreak article
France: March against National Rally in Orleans
france24.com
Police use tear gas in Lyon
Police have fired tear gas to disperse some 150 people protesting in Lyon, in an area banned to all demonstrations, according to AFP. The news agency said police moved in as demonstrators tried to block a road in the southeastern city. They fired several tear gas grenades to clear the group near a…
france24.com
Police arrest 135, seize fireworks and slingshots
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez says police have arrested 135 people nationwide, adding that, so far, “there has been no major incident.” Weapons confiscated included metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons, he said. Par…
dpa-international.com
What’s happening today
More than 70,000 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed across France for another round of protests over deteriorating school conditions and the rising cost of living. The operation involves RAID, the elite police unit usually tasked with counterterrorism and other high-risk interventions…
2news.com
Welcome to our coverage
Hello and welcome to our live page following the protests across France. Stay with us for the latest news, reactions and analyses.
SOURCE PAGES
- France protests live: 135 arrested as marches held under tight security
Al Jazeera · ended