France Deploys 70,000 Police as Cost‑of‑Living Protests Bring Clashes and Mass Arrests
France put 70,000 police and gendarmes on the streets as tens of thousands marched against rising living costs and inequality, with clashes in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, more than 20 metro stations closed, major museums shut and at least 135 arrests nationwide.
French authorities mounted a heavy security operation on 24 October, deploying 70,000 police and gendarmes nationwide as cost‑of‑living protests turned violent in several cities.
Interior officials reported at least 135 arrests across the country. In Paris, authorities closed more than 20 metro stations, boarded up shops along protest routes and shut major museums, including the Louvre, in anticipation of unrest. Water cannons and tear gas were used against demonstrators in parts of the capital.
In Strasbourg, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) union estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 people took part in a protest, one week after the city saw earlier violent clashes. Unions cited by French newspaper Le Figaro claimed that around 800,000 people marched nationwide, with about 250,000 in Paris; these figures have not been independently verified.
Footage from Marseille shows rioters firing fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas. In Lyon and the Paris area, videos depict property damage, including vandalism near an Audi car dealership, and water cannons moving in to disperse crowds. Some protesters were seen waving Palestinian flags, indicating that foreign‑policy grievances were present alongside anger over domestic economic issues.
For residents, the protests translate into closed transport links, shuttered cultural sites and disrupted weekend commerce in city centers. Shopkeepers along affected routes face both the immediate risk of damage and the longer‑term impact of being located in areas regularly associated with unrest.
The government now has to decide how to respond to the combination of large‑scale marches and localized rioting. Signals to watch include whether unions call for further nationwide actions, any new economic or social measures announced by the government, and how quickly security forces can reduce the need for such large deployments without seeing a resurgence in clashes.
Sources
- OSINT