Clashes erupt as hundreds of thousands protest across France

Paris — Scuffles broke out in Paris and other French cities on Saturday evening at the end of a third weekend of nationwide protests over living costs and strained public services. Around 320,000 people marched across the country, including 70,000 in Paris, the interior ministry estimated, while organisers put turnout at nearly half a million.

Riot police charged to disperse small groups of rioters at the end of the Paris march, and fired tear gas in Lyon and in Toulouse, according to France 24. There were also tensions at unauthorised protests in Marseille, but calm had returned as night fell. The demonstrations were largely peaceful through the afternoon; the New York Times reported that some marchers wore Halloween costumes before the day ended in violence.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said security forces had held their ground and faced what he called “a great deal of violence”. He warned the evening was not over, citing calls for insurrection on Halloween night, and said police would respond firmly to further unrest. Authorities have warned that Halloween masks could be used to conceal rioters' identities; the ministry said security checks at railway stations and roads had uncovered people carrying objects that could be used as weapons.

Turnout has fallen each week on the interior ministry's count: 550,000 on October 17, when riots and looting caught security forces off guard, then 410,000, then 320,000 on Saturday. The marches have drawn together students, who began mobilising in September, trade unions and a smaller contingent of Yellow Vest protesters, united by anger over fuel prices, inflation and President Emmanuel Macron's government. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon marched at the head of the Paris demonstration.

The unrest lands at a delicate moment. On Friday, ratings agency Fitch unexpectedly revised the outlook on French debt to negative, with public debt nearing 120 percent of economic output, and data showed the economy shrinking in the third quarter. The Chamber of Commerce estimates retailers' losses over the three weeks have exceeded €1 billion ($1.1 billion); other estimates put the total at double that including uninsured damage. The protests have also inspired youth-led demonstrations in several German cities and in Italy, France 24 reported.

The next test comes quickly: police were bracing for scattered unrest overnight into Halloween, and the government's 2027 budget talks — the trigger for the student mobilisation — are still open. Whether turnout keeps falling, and how the Élysée responds before April's presidential election, will show which way the movement is heading.