Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in marches across French cities on Thursday, while public-sector workers prepare to strike in a major new test for President Emmanuel Macron.
The latest mobilisation comes after weeks of unrest that have shaken the government and eclipsed nearly every other issue five months before the presidential election. Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s hard-right National Rally, currently leads opinion polls.
Trade unions including the left-wing CGT, along with student organisations, have called for the demonstrations. The protests follow growing anger over the cost of living, strained public services and education, in what has become France’s most serious period of civil unrest in years.
Officials have worked to contain tensions since riots and looting on October 17 caught security forces by surprise. Shops and public buildings were damaged across the country, intensifying criticism of Macron’s response to the crisis.
‘We are being exceptionally vigilant because reliving October 17 is simply out of the question,’ government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.
Around 70,000 police officers are due to be deployed nationwide.
France’s domestic intelligence service estimates that between 500,000 and 700,000 people could demonstrate outside Paris, with as many as 80,000 expected to march in the capital.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned that authorities would respond with ‘extreme firmness’ to any violence or public disorder.
People in Halloween costumes gather at La Plaine Square in Marseille, France, on October 31, 2026
Thousands gather at La Plaine Square in Marseille on October 31, building barricades and confronting police during the evening unrest
A protester holds a firework during a Paris demonstration organised by labour unions and joined by Yellow Vest activists, high school pupils and university students on October 31
The Education Ministry said 17.5 per cent of teachers at public primary schools were expected to walk out. Unions also predicted disruption to rail networks and other public transport services.
Students are expected to be prominent in Thursday’s marches, with many saying deteriorating school conditions and uncertainty about their prospects have become urgent concerns.
‘We are trying to maintain the mobilisation as much as possible. Some people are staying away because they are frightened. Many are afraid of police violence,’ said Irma de Banville, a 19-year-old student in Paris.
The government has defended the actions of police while insisting that alleged abuses will be investigated.
Macron held a defence and security meeting on Wednesday ahead of the demonstrations. The gathering highlighted how a movement that began with student anger over worsening school conditions and limited opportunities for young people has grown into a wider political threat.
‘The objective over the coming weeks is to bring the river that has overflowed back into its channel and begin the presidential campaign in the calmest conditions possible,’ said an official close to Macron. The official pointed to a decline in the number of high schools blockaded this week compared with earlier in the crisis.
Protests held nationwide last Saturday were mostly peaceful, although clashes broke out on the fringes of some demonstrations.
The political climate nevertheless remains highly charged. Presidential hopefuls are positioning themselves ahead of the election, while opposition parties attempt to turn dissatisfaction over living standards and government policy to their advantage.
Demonstrators take to the streets as tensions rise during protests in Paris, France, on October 31
Weeks of unrest have unsettled Emmanuel Macron’s government and dominated the political agenda five months before the presidential election
A masked protester joins a nationwide demonstration in Marseille, southern France, on October 31
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A vehicle burns as demonstrators take to the streets during escalating protests in Paris on October 31
Demonstrators clash with police as tensions intensify during protests in Paris on October 31
Demonstrators carrying banners, flags and costumes confront police during Yellow Vest protests in Paris on October 31
A strike in the energy sector in mid-September had already reduced electricity production and limited delivery capacity at Dunkirk LNG, France’s largest liquefied natural gas terminal.
‘This will be a powerful mobilisation,’ said Marylise Leon of the CFDT union, predicting participation on a scale similar to the 2023 protests against pension reform, when more than one million people took to the streets.
Unions representing public and private education workers have called for industrial action, as have organisations for railway staff, hospital employees and postal workers.
In demands directed at both the government and employers, unions are seeking a higher minimum wage—the first discretionary increase since 2012—along with broad pay rises, tax changes and improved learning conditions for young people.
An attempted murder inquiry is under way after petrol bombs were thrown at security forces during protests in Paris on Saturday.
Several teenagers have suffered serious injuries, while thousands of people have been arrested during the unrest.
Authorities have acknowledged failures in security and intelligence that allowed the clashes, widespread looting and vandalism of public property on October 17 to escalate.
On Wednesday, Paris officials prohibited a planned route between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Concorde, which would have taken protesters through the heart of the capital.
Protesters erect barricades in side streets around La Plaine Square on October 31
Protesters kick tear-gas canisters away during unrest in Paris on October 31
French high school students hold a sit-in outside Lycée Henri IV in Paris during nationwide strikes and protests on November 5
A person throws rubbish bins onto a fire outside the International High School Montebello in Lille, northern France, on November 2
A protester waves a flare during a demonstration over rising living costs in Nantes on Saturday, October 31
Police replaced the prohibited route with an authorised path heading east, away from central Paris.
Several unions condemned the restrictions as an attack on the right to demonstrate, while others submitted last-minute legal appeals seeking to restore the original routes.
‘We can see a cumulative effect. Public support for the high school and university students’ movement has not faded, and people are increasingly questioning limits on civil liberties, particularly bans on demonstrations,’ said Fabrice Fort of the CGT.
‘It has acted as a wake-up call for people who do not usually speak out,’ he added.
Youth-led protests have also emerged elsewhere in Europe in recent weeks, including demonstrations in Denmark, Germany and Italy.