Youth-led cost of living protests hit France for a third weekend

Hundreds of thousands of mostly young people marched across France on Saturday 31 October, the third weekend in a row of protests over the cost of living and the state of education, RFI reports. Most of the marches were peaceful, but police fired tear gas in Paris and several other cities as they ended, and more than 290 people had been arrested by 6pm.

What happened

The two sides gave very different turnout figures. The ministère de l’Intérieur (the interior ministry, which runs policing) counted 320,000 protesters nationwide, about 70,000 of them in Paris, and said this was fewer than at earlier protests. The youth trade union coalition said nearly half a million people took part, 200,000 of them in Paris. Some 70,000 police and gendarmes (France’s military-status police force) were on duty across the country. The Paris marches were moved away from the centre to the outskirts of the capital.

In eastern Paris, thousands of people walked under a police helicopter to protest against rising prices, inequality and police violence. Because it was Halloween, many wore costumes, from Spider-Man to Frankenstein. One placard read “Dressed up as an angry citizen for Halloween”. Trouble broke out at the end of the rallies in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities, when tear gas was fired at people on the edges of the crowds. The interior ministry said the marches had “proceeded smoothly within the framework of the declared demonstrations”. It also said “radical elements” in Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseille had tried to get into city centres “with the aim of carrying out vandalism and looting”.

Thousands of young people joined a march in Toulouse that had not been authorised. One placard there, aimed at President Emmanuel Macron, read “Manu, you killed my France”.

RFI says the movement began last month among lycée (secondary school) students. They were protesting about run-down buildings, a shortage of teachers and a university admissions system they see as unfair to students from poorer backgrounds. Trade unions and activists from the Yellow Vests (gilets jaunes, a protest movement against Macron) then joined, adding demands about living costs and inequality. After a security crackdown left some protesters seriously injured, the movement also began calling for stronger civil liberties and protection of the right to protest.

Young people protested in other countries too. In Germany, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt” held rallies for education, health, climate protection and affordable living, and against any return of military service. Organisers said more than 180,000 people had signed up online, but by Saturday afternoon only several thousand had marched. Berlin brought in an extra 1,500 police officers. Thousands of students and workers marched across Italy on Friday. In Barcelona, rioting the previous Saturday led to about 130 arrests, mostly of minors. Calls to protest also spread on TikTok in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal.

Why it matters if you live in France

If you live in a big city, the most direct change is the curfews. RFI reports a night-time curfew in parts of central Paris. In other large cities, including Bordeaux and Marseille, unaccompanied minors are under curfew. On Friday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a “very high risk” of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween.

Parents of secondary school and university students should expect more disruption. Sabrine Kharbach, spokesperson for the student union Union étudiante, said students would blockade universities and lycées from Tuesday, and again on Thursday. They then plan to join a demonstration on 5 November called by workers and trade unions.

Shops and city centres are also affected. Some protests have turned into rioting and looting, and RFI says unrest on 17 October caused an estimated one billion euros of damage to shops and public buildings. Before Saturday’s marches, some shopkeepers boarded up their premises. Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France’s chamber of commerce, told the radio station France Inter that “shopkeepers can’t wait for Saturday to be over”.

The protests also matter politically. RFI notes that the presidential election is less than six months away and that far-right leader Marine Le Pen leads the opinion polls. Housing for students is part of the story as well: Corentin Cabreux, a 21-year-old student, described damp, peeling walls, cockroaches and rats in his state-run student residence.

What to watch next

The next dates to note are the school and university blockades planned for Tuesday and Thursday, followed by the 5 November demonstration called by workers and unions. These will show whether the students and the unions keep marching together, and whether turnout keeps falling, as the interior ministry says it did this weekend.

The authorities’ response matters too. Nuñez said social media posts had called for Halloween evening gatherings to spark a “revolution”, and the curfews show the government is ready to limit movement in big cities. If you live in Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille or another affected city, check local announcements before travelling on protest days. Finally, the protests in Germany, Italy and elsewhere suggest the movement is not only French, and it is now part of the run-up to a presidential election.

Source: RFI