Over the weekend, more than half a million people took to the streets of France. What started in September as student protests over underfunded schools, teacher shortages and poor conditions has evolved into a much broader movement against economic inequality and rising living costs, powered by a deep sense of frustration with the political elite. In towns and cities all over the country, young people and students marched alongside trade unionists and supporters of the gilets jaunes movement (which, despite France’s prime minister decrying “ultra-left radical groups” as responsible for unrest, defies easy categorisation as left or right).
The protests were largely peaceful, but there were also moments of shocking destruction: perhaps the most powerful images captured over the weekend showed Limoges’ historic town hall engulfed in flames, its roof collapsing after the building was set ablaze. The weekend also saw unrest elsewhere in Europe, although there was no straightforward copycat effect. Spain is experiencing its own wave of protests over the housing crisis, galvanised by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her Madrid home last month. Albania, meanwhile, has seen nearly a week of student-led anti-government protests over corruption, unemployment and education, building on months of opposition to a controversial coastal development linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The protests in Portugal, Belgium and Italy, however, appear more closely connected to the wider wave of unrest in France, even as they remain rooted in specific local grievances and demands. Housing and the cost of living are the two major themes. In Milan, a small number of demonstrators hurled stones and paving blocks at the police. A tent encampment sprang up in Lisbon, which in recent years has experienced a particularly sharp rise in house prices and rents. Across these different contexts, what emerges is a shared frustration that governments are no longer willing – or able – to provide the conditions for an affordable, stable life.
While these are all serious issues, there were lighter moments across the weekend, from Soulja Boy emerging as a political commentator with more sense than many professional pundits, to protesters attempting a little impromptu wealth redistribution. Here are some of the most striking, inspiring and occasionally ridiculous moments from a weekend of protest.
ROLLING UP TO AN AIRBNB WITH A WHEELED SUITCASE WAS EVEN MORE EMBARRASSING THAN NORMAL
🔴 INSOLITE
— Rafael Sereti (@RafaelSereti) October 18, 2026
Quand deux touristes prennent leurs vacances à Paris au mauvais moment 🧳🧳 pic.twitter.com/fBV0tbk62r
— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) October 18, 2026The French trashed the McDonalds, looted the Apple Store and Luis Vuitton's hand bags.
All run by global billionaires.
But they left the French Chicken shop untouched. pic.twitter.com/ajk2X5pO2L
#France — Following the unrest in Paris, protesters distributed food looted from supermarkets to the city’s homeless. pic.twitter.com/9fazQ5N8st
— Antifa_Ultras (@ultras_antifaa) October 18, 2026
The French student protesters were letting ambulances and firefighters through and moving the barricades to allow them to pass. pic.twitter.com/2gcpJUYoe1
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) October 18, 2026
French men stealing pads during the protest and giving out to the random women they see on the street is actually the sweetest thing ever pic.twitter.com/GdtDm6gbBz
— Nora❦ | ADW (@hiscoraline) October 17, 2026
Aura farming en pleine révolution #jaimemonpayspic.twitter.com/TgqLtoNVe1
— 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑎 🎀 (@fyolicabunya) October 17, 2026
Aura farm pozuymuş. Sanat, sinema ve direniş bu işte. Viva revolution 💪🏽 #vivarevolution#FranceProtestspic.twitter.com/CuSg5RyXCC
— Kızılmaske (@chapullisma) October 18, 2026