Police say 110,000 march in Paris, 100+ detained in France

French police said about 110,000 people joined a Paris march on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, while CNN reported more than 100 people had been detained across France as the country’s cost-of-living protests entered another weekend under heavy security.

The government deployed up to 70,000 officers nationwide, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said, along with helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannon, according to an AP report carried by CBS News published before the marches began.

France 24’s live coverage reported that police described the Paris turnout as “calm”, with reports of clashes in other cities. CNN’s live coverage put the number of people detained at more than 100. Both counts were still changing and have not been independently confirmed by Canada News Media. Figures are from police and media reports and may be revised.

Authorities had prepared for the worst after last weekend. The Interior Ministry said about 550,000 people took part in the Oct. 17 protests nationwide, including roughly 110,000 in Paris, Euronews reported. About 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted that weekend, AP reported, and a suspected arson nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall in Limoges.

The Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais, which hosts a Cézanne exhibit, were closed Saturday, AP reported. Organizers of Art Basel cancelled its weekend programme after opening to the public for one day on Friday. Paris shopkeepers boarded up their windows, including near Place de la République, the traditional starting point for marches in the capital.

Marches were scheduled in Paris and Marseille. Local authorities banned rallies in Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, AP reported. About 50 organizations, including unions, left-wing parties and student groups, also called for a demonstration against the far right during the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s party, which comes ahead of next spring’s presidential election.

The unrest began last month when high school students in southeastern Paris demonstrated over classroom conditions and teacher shortages, then widened to anger over living costs and fuel prices. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said hundreds of police officers have been injured since it began. Euronews reported on Oct. 17 that his government is trying to pass an austerity budget through a hung parliament.

Canada News Media reported on the Oct. 17 protests and, on Oct. 20, that France imposed curfews after arrests topped 2,300. The Interior Ministry’s arrest count then differed from some media tallies. Investors have also watched the fallout: the 10-year French government bond yield topped 4.8 per cent ahead of a budget vote.

For Canadians, the closures matter most to travellers. Museums and some shops in Paris were shut on Saturday, and local rallies were banned in several cities. Canadians in France should check the Government of Canada’s advisory for France at travel.gc.ca, follow instructions from local authorities and avoid demonstrations. As of Canada News Media’s Oct. 20 report, the advisory had last been updated on Oct. 13, before the riots.

What happens next is uncertain. Macron cannot run again in the April and May 2027 presidential vote because of term limits, and parties are positioning for it. Final figures on arrests, injuries and damage from Saturday had not been released at the time of writing. This story is developing and will be updated.

Via CBS News/AP, France 24, CNN and Euronews.

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