France Faces Massive Protests Amid Cost-of-Living Crisis

On 24 October 2026, protests erupted across France, driven by anger over the cost of living, strained public services, and inequality. The movement, initially sparked by high-school protests regarding learning conditions, expanded to include students, workers, unions, pensioners, farmers, and climate activists.

In response, authorities deployed approximately 70,000 security personnel nationwide, including helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons, to prevent a recurrence of violence seen in previous protests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez emphasized the need for police to be “hyper-reactive” to troublemakers.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned of a high threat of violence. Restrictions were imposed in several cities, including a ban on a counter-demonstration in Orléans and limitations on protests in Lyon and Paris.

Human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, condemned these restrictions, arguing they jeopardized the right to peaceful demonstration and raised concerns about the use of crowd-control weapons.