France Protests Under Way as 70,000 Police Deploy; 135 Arrests Reported by Early Afternoon
· News Team
PARIS, October 24, 2026 — Demonstrators took to streets across France on Saturday under a nationwide deployment of about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes, while major Paris museums closed amid concerns about renewed unrest.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez outlined the security operation on Friday, saying police would be supported by mobile units and specialist equipment. The plans follow violent clashes, fires and looting during protests the previous weekend. Authorities say their priority is to protect people and public buildings; organizers and demonstrators continue to press grievances over living costs and public services.
The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais are among the cultural institutions expected to close on Saturday, according to a statement from France’s Culture Ministry reported by the Associated Press. The Art Basel Paris fair also canceled its weekend public program at the Grand Palais, citing safety concerns.
Demonstrations were held in Paris, Marseille and other cities, despite restrictions or bans on some gatherings in locations including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier. Separately, anti-far-right protesters rallied in Orléans alongside a National Rally party congress.
UPDATE — October 24, afternoon: The planned marches are now under way. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that, by 1 p.m., authorities had recorded about 35,000 demonstrators at 136 public actions nationwide and 135 arrests. Those figures were an early-afternoon snapshot, not a final turnout or arrest total. Nuñez said there had been no major incident at that point, according to Le Monde’s live coverage.
By later in the day, the Associated Press reported a police estimate of about 110,000 participants in Paris alone. The later figure is not directly comparable with the minister’s earlier nationwide snapshot. Reuters reported scattered clashes in some cities, including the use of tear gas and water cannon, while much of the Paris march remained peaceful. The demonstrations brought together people protesting high living costs, education conditions and public-service cuts.
The government says its deployment of 70,000 police and gendarmes is intended to prevent a repeat of the previous weekend’s disorder. Civil-liberties advocates and some organizers have criticized bans and route restrictions as disproportionate. Associated Press, October 24; Reuters, October 24.
Image note: The featured photograph is an archive image from a Paris demonstration on October 17, 2026, not a photograph of the October 24 deployment. Photo: Jorge Jaramillo / JJxFile, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original image and license details. Responsive crops may be generated for display.
Sources: Associated Press, October 23, 2026; Reuters, October 23, 2026.
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