Some 110,000 people marched through Paris on Saturday, demanding greater purchasing power and defending public services, police said, adding that the situation across the capital remained generally calm.
The march set off from Porte d’Italie at around 2 p.m. and reached Porte de Vincennes about three hours later. Police said they carried out more than 3,000 checks and detained 65 people.
According to the Interior Ministry, 135 people had been detained nationwide by midday, while about 35,000 had gathered in public spaces across France.
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By comparison, about 60,000 people had gathered by midday during the Oct. 17 protests, which were marred by widespread violence and looting.
More than 70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed nationwide, about 10,000 more than the previous week, backed by helicopters and drones.
In Lyon, France’s third-largest city, police fired tear gas to disperse a group of about 150 people who had approached a university near an area where all gatherings were banned. Authorities had refused permission for some planned protests, citing the risk of violence.
La place Jean Macé noyée dans le gaz lacrymogène pour disperser le cortège pourtant tranquille https://t.co/1uYKYlChuR
— Lyon Mag (@lyonmag) October 24, 2026
Tear gas was also used against protesters in Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille and Nice, where police deployed a water cannon after demonstrators refused orders to disperse.
Central Paris resembled a city on alert, with many shops boarded up. The Louvre, the Orsay Museum and the Paris Opera were closed, along with more than 20 metro stations. Business groups urged retailers to stay shut after looting damaged thousands of businesses across the country last week.
