Paris, 18 October 2026. The mobilization against expensive life gathered hundreds of thousands of people in France on Saturday, October 17. While the parades took place calmly for much of the day, clashes, fires and looting broke out in several cities in the late afternoon and evening.
A mobilisation that brings together far beyond trade unions
The estimates give the measurement of the movement: 550,000 participants according to the Ministry of the Interior, compared to 800,000 according to the organizers. The CGT, for its part, recorded 1,750 rallies and parades in the country.
In the processions, the profiles were varied: yellow vests, high school students, students, employees and environmental activists found themselves around the same concern, that of the cost of living. In Paris, about 110,000 people demonstrated. Lyon and Nantes each counted nearly 20,000, ahead of Strasbourg, Rennes and La Rochelle.
Purchasing power at the heart of the challenge
Behind this mobilization, the demands are on rising prices, energy spending and the deterioration of public services. In particular, the organizers called on the inhabitants of the working-class neighbourhoods, workers, pensioners, farmers and young people to join the movement.
Blockages, however, remained limited. According to AFP observations, only a few dams have been identified. The mobilization recalls that of the yellow vests of 2018-2019, without taking over all forms of action of the time.
The CGT calls for quick responses from the government and intends to continue the mobilization. A new inter-union day is announced for November 5.
The evening of degradation
At the end of the day, the situation was tense in Paris, particularly around the Place de la République. Groups left the declared routes and moved to other neighbourhoods. An attempt to approach the Elysée was pushed back by law enforcement.
Shops were looted, windows were broken and vehicles burned. The mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, denounced streets " methodically ravaged" and evoked considerable damage.
Several provincial cities were also affected. In Lille, a LOSC shop and a supermarket were vandalized. In Lyon, police intervened in the face of looting in the city centre, while shops were targeted in Rennes.
In Limoges, a fire ravaged a town hall building after a group broke in. In Marseille, people briefly entered the lobby of the town hall before being dispersed. In Bordeaux, RAID intervened after degradation in the prefectural residence.
The Government Under Pressure
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reported 1,200 arrests and 150 police and gendarmes injured. He also called on those in charge of La France to place themselves clearly in the face of violence.
The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, challenged ultra-left groups. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, for his part, criticized the strategy of maintaining law and order, which he considered responsible for part of the tensions.
Emmanuel Macron promised to prosecute the perpetrators of damage and looting. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin also called for a firm judicial response.
An anger that won't disappear with the return to calm
Saturday's violence may put the initial motive for mobilization in the background: the difficulties faced by households with regard to the cost of living. For the government, the challenge will be to restore calm while responding to social demands.
The next inter-union day, scheduled for 5 November, will measure whether the mobilization continues to be widespread and whether the challenge continues without being overshadowed by the violence.
