France is on high alert on Saturday, 24 October 2026, as more than 70,000 police officers and gendarmes are deployed across the country ahead of a new day of nationwide protests, according to BBC News.
The demonstrations come a week after some of the worst unrest France has seen in years, when shops were looted and buildings were set on fire during protests on 17 October. According to the BBC, some public buildings and businesses have been boarded up ahead of Saturday's marches, and sweeping restrictions have been placed on demonstrations.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that security forces would be firm with anyone involved in violence, according to PressTV, which cited his remarks. The deployment includes elite units, helicopters, armoured vehicles and water cannon, and authorities have pointed to online calls for looting and attacks on public buildings.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are still expected to gather in Paris and other cities, according to the BBC, for a second round of protests organised by students, trade unions and wider anti-government groups. In Paris, major cultural sites including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais are expected to close for the day.
The restrictions themselves are now the subject of a legal challenge. According to PressTV, citing the daily Le Parisien, opposition parties including The Ecologists, France Unbowed, the Socialist Party and the Communist Party filed a joint emergency appeal with the Council of State on Friday against bans on demonstrations and changes to march routes.
President Emmanuel Macron met representatives of high-school students on Friday. According to PressTV, student representatives afterwards called for mobilisation to continue. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Friday that 232 people had been imprisoned over their role in the 17 October riots, with more than 1,100 people having appeared in court.
What happens next will depend on how Saturday unfolds: whether the large planned marches pass off peacefully, whether groups intent on disruption defy the restrictions, and how the Council of State rules on the opposition challenge. Authorities have said they are prepared for a long day, and further demonstrations could follow depending on the outcome.Photo: Remi Mathis, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.