French Police Report 320,000 at Halloween-Day Protests Over Living Costs

French authorities reported that 320,000 people took part in nationwide protests on 31 October 2026 against rising living costs and conditions in schools. The interior ministry said 70,000 of them marched in Paris. Youth organisations put the national figure near 500,000, including 200,000 in the capital.

The demonstrations formed the third consecutive Saturday of action, labelled Act III by organisers. Turnout was lower than the 410,000 recorded the previous Saturday and the 550,000 of 17 October. Police had deployed 70,000 officers and gendarmes, the same number as the week before. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a high risk of disorder coinciding with Halloween and said masks used to hide faces for public-order offences would bring a fine of 150 euros.

Authorised marches were routed away from city centres to reduce the chance of looting. In Paris the main procession moved from Porte de Bagnolet to Porte de Charenton. After the official end, groups of masked protesters formed unauthorised processions in eastern Paris and other cities. Police used tear gas and water cannon in Lyon, Toulouse and parts of Paris. Nuñez said the authorised marches had been largely orderly but denounced later disorder, including a Molotov cocktail that struck a gendarme.

The interior ministry reported 565 arrests nationwide by late evening. In Paris, four police officers and one gendarme were injured, three of them by the Molotov cocktail. Police conducted 5,745 checks in the Paris area. Some protesters wore Halloween costumes ranging from clowns to witches and film characters. Jean-Luc Mélenchon of France Unbowed joined the Paris march and praised the turnout.

The protests combine Yellow Vest-style cost-of-living grievances with student and school-related demands. Organisers have called for better public services and measures against inflation. Previous Saturdays saw looting and clashes in several cities. Authorities banned gatherings in commercial centres and warned that social-media calls for insurrection would be met with arrests.

By late evening the Paris police described the situation in the agglomeration as calm. Nuñez said security forces remained ready for further incidents overnight. The lower official turnout and the concentration of clashes after the main marches ended mark a shift from the larger and more disruptive days earlier in the month.

The dual figures of 320,000 and nearly 500,000 reflect the usual gap between government and organiser counts. The 565 arrests and the specific injury from a Molotov cocktail give a concrete measure of the residual disorder once the authorised processions dispersed.