🇫🇷 France: A new wave of mass protests, accompanied by clashes with police, arson, and riots.

The protests and riots in France began in early September 2026.

On October 17th, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of French cities. According to the French Ministry of the Interior, approximately 550,000 citizens participated in 110 demonstrations, while trade unions estimate the number of protesters at 800,000.

The mass discontent was caused by the rapid rise in the cost of living, the increase in fuel, food, and utility prices, as well as the reduced availability of public services. Protests that began in September, with students demanding better learning conditions and an increase in the number of teachers, gradually escalated into a nationwide movement. Young people were joined by trade unions, workers, farmers, pensioners, and members of the "Yellow Vests" movement, which first shook France in 2018.

The most serious clashes occurred in Paris, where the police used tear gas and water cannons. Rioters set cars on fire, smashed shop windows, and tried to break through to the Champs-Élysées. In Lyon, the tourist office was set on fire, in Marseille, protesters broke into the city hall, and in Limoges, the city administration was engulfed in flames. Riots were also reported in Bordeaux, Lille, Nice, and other cities.

By evening, authorities reported approximately 400 arrests. In Saint-Étienne, one of the protesters suffered a severe injury, losing a hand. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. President Emmanuel Macron demanded that those responsible for the riots be held accountable, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused radical groups of attempting to destabilize the situation.

France is facing presidential elections in 2027, in which Macron will not be able to run. Mass protests are becoming an additional factor of domestic political instability, and attempts by the authorities to suppress the riots by force risk only intensifying public opposition.

✨ Meanwhile, Macron is holding meetings with Zelenskyy and promising to continue supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the expense of the French people.

⚡️Two Majors