Violent confrontations erupted across France on Saturday as demonstrations entered their fourth week. Earlier in the week, President Emmanuel Macron delivered some of his strongest remarks yet on the unrest, which comes during the final six months of his presidency.
At the weekly cabinet meeting, Macron “stressed that young people have legitimate concerns,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told the AFP, “but these are being exploited for political purposes and turned into urban violence.” Bregeon said Macron had instructed ministers to develop “concrete responses” to the unrest within weeks.
The latest violence followed a national day of action over the rising cost of living and additional student concerns. Although many demonstrations remained peaceful, police deployed tear gas and water cannons against violent groups in Paris. At Place de la République, hooded and masked demonstrators threw fireworks and other objects at officers. The Interior Ministry reported attacks on police, looting and damage to public buildings, with at least 272 arrests nationwide.
A protester confronts French riot police during clashes at Place de la République in Paris. The demonstration, organized by the “Yellow Vests” movement, brought together high school and university students, teachers, parents, labor unions, workers, farmers and retirees to protest the cost of living, rising fuel prices, school conditions and government policies. France, Oct. 17, 2026. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu took a harder line than Macron, accusing the student movement of being “instrumentalized by the allies of France Unbowed (LFI)… for electoral reasons.” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, LFI’s presidential candidate, joined a Paris demonstration this week, while the party’s councilors, lawmakers and mayors have participated in student blockades in several cities.
The elections to replace term-limited Macron are scheduled for April and May, giving opposition parties an opportunity to capitalize on the unrest. Marine Le Pen, the leading candidate from the conservative National Rally party, has expressed support for police and blamed students for the violence.
Firefighters work to extinguish a burning emergency vehicle during student protests in Paris. (Reuters)
At the same time, students, labor unions, rights organizations and parents have accused police of using excessive force against demonstrators.
The Interior Ministry has launched internal investigations into 36 allegations of police violence against protesters, according to the AFP. The national police union, Alliance Police Nationale, meanwhile, says it has sued the government for “putting lives in danger” through what it described as “contradictory orders” issued to officers deployed during the demonstrations.
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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a visit to the Istres military air force base in southern France, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni, Pool) (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni, Pool)
The Alliance said officers felt “betrayed, abandoned, left to fend for themselves” by political leaders because of what it called “unclear instructions” and public statements expressing “empathy towards the rioters.”
“This is the country of the French Revolution. Everyone boasts about it,” Walid Hrar, a police officer and union representative, told The Associated Press. “Some political parties don’t hesitate to say that we need to disobey the law. That’s what Robespierre and other revolutionaries taught us in 1789.”
A protester throws a projectile through tear gas during clashes with French riot police at Place de la République in Paris. The demonstration was part of nationwide protests organized by the “Yellow Vests” movement and joined by students, teachers, parents, labor unions, workers, farmers and retirees. France, Oct. 17, 2026. (REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq)
“France always tends to react rather than anticipate,” he added. “In other words, we’re always going to extremes.”
Speaking on the sidelines of Friday’s European Council summit in Brussels, Macron again urged restraint. “There is a constitutional right to protest and to express oneself. But this right comes with the need to respect,” he said, calling for “respect for people, respect for property, and therefore a commitment not to insult or destroy.”
Lecornu told Parliament that 937 police officers and 149 teachers and school employees had been injured since the protests began. The French Justice Ministry said nearly 8,000 people had been arrested.
The unrest has also reached neighboring Belgium. Several hundred, mostly young, demonstrators protested in Brussels on Saturday, according to Reuters, clashing with police in actions at least partly inspired by events in France. A similar demonstration took place in the French-speaking city of Liege. Student groups there say they oppose rising education costs and reforms they fear will make higher education less accessible.
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin posted on X that what is happening in his country: “is no longer mere protest! It is pure and simple violence, organized and repeated to destabilize our society… All necessary means will be used to restore order in the face of the rioters.”
Smaller solidarity gatherings were also held in neighboring Luxembourg and the French-speaking regions of Switzerland, but those events remained peaceful and no arrests were reported. Students in India also demonstrated over education-related issues this week, although their protests do not appear to be connected to the movement in France.
French authorities hope the demonstrations will subside in the coming days, as schools across the country are closed until Nov. 2 for the Toussaint, or All Saints’, holiday.