France arrests over 2,000 as student-led cost-of-living protests turn violent

France is counting the cost of a turbulent weekend after a student-led movement over schools and living costs brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets on Saturday, 17 October 2026, and parts of the day ended in arson, looting and running battles with police.

Estimates of the turnout differ sharply. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez put the national figure at about 550,000, with roughly 110,000 marching in Paris. The CGT, France’s largest trade union, claimed a far larger crowd of around 800,000, France 24 reported.

From classrooms to the streets

The unrest traces back to mid-September, when pupils at a Créteil high school on the edge of Paris walked out over run-down buildings, crowded classes and a shortage of teachers, according to Al Jazeera. Over the following weeks the cause widened into anger over fuel prices, shrinking purchasing power and the state of public services. Saturday’s rallies drew nurses, firefighters, parents, teachers and lawyers, along with what remains of the “yellow vests”, the cost-of-living movement that rocked the country in 2018, after online calls to revive it. The CGT also lent its support, demanding better wages and pensions and lower prices.

Violence and arrests

Most marchers stayed peaceful, but clashes broke out in several cities. In Limoges, masked protesters set fire to the 143-year-old town hall, which the local prefect said was “largely lost”. Rioters forced their way into Marseille’s city hall, Lyon’s tourist office was torched, and shops were looted in Paris after dark. In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old lost a hand in what officials said may have been a gendarmerie grenade; the police watchdog IGPN has been asked to investigate.

Arrest figures climbed through the weekend. Around 400 people had been detained by Saturday evening, Nuñez said, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu later spoke of 1,200 arrests. By Sunday, Nuñez said more than 2,000 people had been held and over 600 police officers hurt. CNN also reported two deaths linked to the weekend: a 22-year-old officer struck by a vehicle in Nantes, and a protester north of Paris who suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest. Carrefour’s chief executive said about 1,500 of the retailer’s stores nationwide were affected.

Macron’s response

Addressing the nation on Sunday evening, President Emmanuel Macron blamed “seditious elements from far-left factions” and vowed that those who damaged property or looted would be made to pay. At the same time, he said the hundreds of thousands who marched peacefully had raised legitimate demands, and asked the government to call students, teachers, unionists and other groups together this week to work on “concrete proposals”.

The crisis comes late in Macron’s term, with elections due next year, and as the government struggles to rein in public debt while borrowing costs sit at their highest in more than two decades. Solidarity protests by young activists were also reported in Belgium, Italy and Albania.

Sources: France 24, CNN, Al Jazeera