Mass protests in France spiral into worst riots in years

Rioting erupted across France on Saturday as demonstrations over rising living costs and declining public services escalated into some of the country’s worst violence in decades. Hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, while violent groups attacked public buildings, businesses and police. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 1,200 people had been arrested, and President Emmanuel Macron vowed to prosecute those responsible.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said around 550,000 people joined demonstrations across France, while the CGT union estimated the turnout at 800,000.

City halls in Limoges and Marseille and a tourist office in Lyon were attacked or set ablaze, while businesses and banks in Paris were looted or damaged.

The protests began last month at high schools in working-class northern suburbs of Paris over teacher shortages and poor facilities before expanding into broader grievances about inequality, public spending and living standards.

More than 150 police officers were injured during Saturday’s protests, according to Lecornu, while Nunez confirmed that one person’s hand was torn off during clashes after the person reportedly picked up a stun grenade.

The police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen allegations of police violence, including injuries involving demonstrators.

Published Oct 18, 2026 12:19 pm KST

A protester wearing a yellow vest throws an object onto a burning car amid clashes between protesters and police during a day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement, joined by French high school and university students, teachers and parents demanding better school conditions and government action, as well as labor unions, workers, farmers and retirees, France, Oct, 17. Reuters-Yonhap

PARIS — Rioting erupted in cities across France on Saturday as demonstrations against rising living costs and declining public services spiralled out of control in some of the worst violence the country has witnessed for decades.

While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully in street marches in scores of cities, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, looted luxury boutiques and supermarkets and attacked police vehicles and officers.

In Limoges, the city hall was set ablaze; in Marseille, black-clad protesters broke into city hall and defaced the building with anarchic graffiti, and in Lyon, protesters torched the city's tourist office.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the government would not be "intimidated" by violence, and blamed the unrest on the "ultra-left" and criminals just months before a presidential election next year.

"To those who clearly want to use this violence as a 'warm-up' before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence," he wrote in a post on X.

A protester holds a French flag next to burning objects amid clashes in a street near the Place de Republique during a day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement, France, Oct. 17. Reuters-Yonhap

Some 1,200 people had been arrested as part of the protests, Lecornu added while visiting the sites in the evening.

Around 550,000 people had participated in the demonstrations across the country, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. The CGT union told Reuters it estimated protesters at 800,000 people.

President Emmanuel Macron vowed to prosecute and punish people who had carried out the attacks.

"We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who only seek to undermine our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so," he wrote in a post on X.

A protester dressed as Jesus Christ and holding a mock gas station dispenser walks past a burning car during a demonstration against the cost of living and rising fuel prices at Place de la Republique in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement, France, Oct. 17. Reuters-Yonhap

Belgium, Portugal and Italy also faced smaller-scale protests on Saturday as living costs rise in Europe, while protesters in Albania again rallied against perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards.

Protesters said most people had marched peacefully, and put much of the violence down to troublemakers who had set out to cause damage and clash with the police. Many held signs bearing slogans against the police, the president and the wealthy.

"We are fighting because the cost of living is too harsh, because the price of fuel is too high, because high school pupils are being violently attacked and hurt all over the country just for trying to protest and ask for more teachers and decent learning conditions," said Lola, a 19-year-old protester in Paris.

Tear gas, fire and looting

Most protests kicked off around midday, with some beginning before the official start of the demonstrations.

In some parts of Paris, police fired tear gas rounds as they retreated in the face of mostly young protesters, many of whom were dressed in black and wore hoodies, masks and goggles to protect against tear gas.

Police officers stand in front of a looted store during a demonstration as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, joined by French high school and university students, teachers and parents demanding better school conditions and government action, as well as labour unions, workers, farmers and retirees, in Nantes, France, Oct. 17. Reuters-Yonhap

Rioters tried to break into the Galeries Lafayette department store, smashed up banks, ransacked a Lacoste store as well as other boutiques and looted an SFR mobile phone shop. Protesters had been setting objects ablaze all day, including numerous cars.

In protests partly inspired by those in France, several hundred mostly young people protested in Brussels, and some clashed with police. Belgian student groups have said they are protesting against rising education costs and reforms they fear will make higher education less accessible.

In Albania, police fired what appeared to be rubber bullets at protesters during a fifth day of mass student demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down.

In Portugal, tens of thousands took to the streets of Lisbon following days of unrest to protest against housing and other living costs. Housing prices in Portugal have doubled since 2017, fuelling one of the worst affordability crises in Europe.

In Italy, a march against high costs of living in Milan degenerated into disorder, with police clearing the central cathedral square with tear gas. Police in Bologna used water cannons to try to disperse crowds and made seven arrests after another protest turned violent, the ANSA news agency reported.

French police response under scrutiny

The protests in France began last month at high schools in Paris' working-class northern suburbs, where anger over teacher shortages and shabby facilities evolved into a broader movement focused on inequality, public spending and living standards.

In Paris on Saturday, protesters in high-visibility vests blocked streets, recalling the Yellow Vest movement that marked Macron's previous term in office.

Saturday's protests eclipsed the size of the crowds at the peak of the Yellow Vest movement, though they were far lower than the levels seen at the protests in 2023 against Macron's pension overhaul.

French police throws tear gas canister amid clashes with protesters during a demonstration against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Marseille, as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement, joined by French high school and university students, teachers and parents demanding better school conditions and government action, as well as labour unions, workers, farmers and retirees, France, Oct. 17. Reuters-Yonhap

Macron is entering the final stretch of his presidency, facing a fragmented political landscape and growing pressure over the economy.

France's efforts to reduce public debt have not reassured investors, pushing government borrowing costs to their highest levels in over two decades.

Police tactics have drawn criticism following injuries among demonstrators, including a teenager who lost a hand after picking up a stun grenade. The police watchdog is investigating at least two dozen allegations of police violence.

Lecornu said more than 150 police officers had been injured in Saturday's protests, but did not say whether any protesters had been hurt.

Nunez confirmed reports that one person had his hand torn off in clashes with police on Saturday. French media reported he tried to pick up a stun grenade.

The UNSA police union posted a video on X showing crowds attacking police vans with clubs and bricks in multiple locations. The union warned the government police forces were at breaking point.

"Today again, in every corner of France, our colleagues are being used as punching bags. Pelted with stones, injured, trapped in real ambushes," the union said. "Let everyone take responsibility: this cannot go on indefinitely. The rope is stretched to its maximum."

周六，法国各地爆发骚乱，民众抗议生活成本上涨和公共服务下降，示威活动升级为数十年来最严重的暴力事件之一。数十万民众和平游行，而暴力团体则袭击公共建筑、商铺和警察。总理塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努表示，已有1200人被捕，总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙誓言将追究肇事者的责任。

法国内政部长洛朗·努内兹表示，约有 55 万人参加了法国各地的示威活动，而法国总工会 (CGT) 估计参与人数为 80 万人。

利摩日和马赛的市政厅以及里昂的一个旅游办事处遭到袭击或纵火，而巴黎的商店和银行则遭到抢劫或破坏。

抗议活动上个月在巴黎北部郊区工人阶级聚居区的高中爆发，起因是教师短缺和设施简陋，之后抗议活动扩大到对不平等、公共支出和生活水平的更广泛不满。

据莱科尔努称，周六的抗议活动中有超过 150 名警察受伤；努涅斯证实，冲突中有一人捡起一枚眩晕弹，导致其手被炸断。

警方监督机构正在调查至少二十几起警察暴力指控，其中包括示威者受伤事件。

发布于2026年10月18日下午12:19（韩国标准时间）

10月17日，在巴黎，一名身穿黄背心的抗议者向一辆燃烧的汽车投掷物品。当天，抗议者与警方发生冲突，抗议者不满生活成本和不断上涨的燃油价格。此次抗议活动是“黄背心”运动在全国范围内发起的，法国高中生、大学生、教师、家长、工会成员、工人、农民和退休人员也加入了抗议行列，他们要求改善学校条件并促使政府采取行动。（路透社-韩联社）

巴黎——周六，法国各地城市爆发骚乱，民众抗议生活成本上涨和公共服务下降的示威活动失控，演变成该国几十年来最严重的暴力事件之一。

当数十万民众在数十个城市的街头举行和平游行示威时，暴力边缘团体却袭击公共建筑、抢劫奢侈品精品店和超市，并袭击警车和警员。

在利摩日，市政厅被纵火焚烧；在马赛，身穿黑衣的抗议者闯入市政厅，用无政府主义涂鸦污损了这座建筑；在里昂，抗议者烧毁了该市的旅游局。

法国总理塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努表示，政府不会被暴力“吓倒”，并将骚乱归咎于“极左翼”和犯罪分子，而此时距离明年的总统选举仅剩几个月。

“对于那些显然想利用这场暴力作为总统选举前‘热身’的人，我明确表示：我们绝不会被吓倒。没有人能通过暴力强加他们的政治议程，”他在 X 网站上发帖写道。

10月17日，在法国巴黎共和国广场附近的一条街道上，一名抗议者手持法国国旗，旁边是燃烧的物品。当天，巴黎爆发了抗议活动，反对生活成本上涨和燃油价格飙升。此次抗议活动是“黄背心”运动在全国范围内发起的示威活动的一部分。（路透社-韩联社）

莱科尔努在当晚视察现场时补充说，约有 1200 人因参与抗议活动而被捕。

内政部长洛朗·努涅斯表示，全国各地约有55万人参加了示威活动。法国总工会（CGT）告诉路透社，他们估计抗议人数为80万人。

法国总统马克龙誓言要起诉并惩罚实施袭击的人。

“我们将团结起来，反对那些散播混乱的人，他们只想破坏我们的制度，阻止那些和平表达诉求的人这样做，”他在 X 上发帖写道。

10月17日，在法国巴黎共和国广场，一名装扮成耶稣基督、手持模拟加油机的抗议者走过一辆燃烧的汽车。当时，人们正在举行示威活动，抗议生活成本上涨和燃油价格飙升。此次示威活动是“黄背心”运动在全国范围内发起的抗议活动的一部分。（路透社-韩联社）

周六，随着欧洲生活成本的上涨，比利时、葡萄牙和意大利也爆发了小规模抗议活动；与此同时，阿尔巴尼亚的抗议者再次集会，反对他们认为的政府腐败、就业机会匮乏和教育水平低下。

抗议者称，大部分人游行都是和平的，并将暴力事件归咎于蓄意破坏和与警方冲突的滋事分子。许多人举着标语，上面写着反对警察、总统和富人的口号。

“我们抗争是因为生活成本太高，燃料价格太贵，全国各地的高中生仅仅因为抗议并要求增加教师和体面的学习条件就遭到暴力袭击和伤害，”19 岁的巴黎抗议者洛拉说道。

催泪瓦斯、纵火和抢劫

大多数抗议活动在中午前后开始，有些甚至在示威活动正式开始前就已经开始。

在巴黎的一些地区，面对以年轻人为主的抗议者，警察在撤退时发射了催泪瓦斯弹。这些抗议者大多身穿黑衣，戴着连帽衫、口罩和护目镜，以抵御催泪瓦斯。

10月17日，在法国南特，警察站在一家被洗劫一空的商店前。此次示威活动是“黄背心”运动在全国范围内发起的抗议活动的一部分，旨在抗议生活成本上涨和燃油价格飙升。法国高中生、大学生、教师和家长也加入了抗议行列，要求改善学校条件并促使政府采取行动。此外，工会、工人、农民和退休人员也参与其中。路透社-韩联社

暴徒试图闯入老佛爷百货公司，砸毁银行，洗劫了一家鳄鱼牌专卖店和其他精品店，并抢劫了一家SFR手机店。抗议者整天都在纵火，焚烧物品，包括多辆汽车。

受法国抗议活动的启发，数百名以年轻人为主的民众在布鲁塞尔举行抗议活动，部分示威者与警方发生冲突。比利时学生团体表示，他们抗议的是不断上涨的教育成本以及他们担心会使高等教育更难普及的改革措施。

在阿尔巴尼亚，连续第五天爆发大规模学生示威活动，要求总理埃迪·拉马下台，警方向示威者发射了疑似橡皮子弹。

在葡萄牙，数万民众在里斯本街头举行抗议活动，反对高昂的住房和其他生活成本。此前，葡萄牙已连续数日发生骚乱。自2017年以来，葡萄牙的房价翻了一番，加剧了欧洲最严重的住房负担能力危机之一。

据安莎通讯社报道，在意大利米兰，一场抗议高昂生活成本的游行演变成骚乱，警方使用催泪瓦斯驱散了市中心大教堂广场上的人群。在博洛尼亚，另一场抗议活动也演变成暴力事件，警方动用水炮试图驱散人群，并逮捕了七人。

法国警方应对措施受到审查

法国的抗议活动上个月始于巴黎北部郊区工人阶级聚居区的高中，人们对教师短缺和破旧设施的愤怒逐渐演变成一场更广泛的运动，这场运动的焦点是不平等、公共支出和生活水平。

周六在巴黎，身穿醒目背心的抗议者封锁了街道，让人想起马克龙上一届总统任期内的“黄背心”运动。

周六的抗议活动规模超过了“黄背心”运动高峰时期的人群规模，但远低于2023年反对马克龙养老金改革的抗议活动规模。

10月17日，法国马赛​​爆发抗议活动，示威者抗议生活成本上涨和燃油价格飙升。法国警方在与示威者发生冲突时投掷催泪瓦斯。此次抗议活动是“黄背心”运动发起的全国性抗议活动的一部分，法国高中生、大学生、教师、家长、工会成员、工人、农民和退休人员也参与其中，他们要求改善学校条件并促使政府采取行动。（路透社-韩联社）

马克龙的总统任期已进入最后阶段，他面临着分裂的政治格局和日益增长的经济压力。

法国为减少公共债务所做的努力并未让投资者放心，反而将政府借贷成本推至二十多年来的最高水平。

警方策略因示威者受伤事件而受到批评，其中包括一名青少年捡起眩晕弹后失去一只手。警方监督机构正在调查至少二十几起有关警方暴力执法的指控。

莱科尔努表示，周六的抗议活动中有超过 150 名警察受伤，但他没有说明是否有抗议者受伤。

努涅斯证实，周六与警方的冲突中，一人手部被撕裂。法国媒体报道称，他当时试图捡起一枚眩晕弹。

南非警察工会（UNSA）在X平台上发布了一段视频，显示多处地点发生人群用棍棒和砖块袭击警车的事件。该工会警告称，政府警察部队已濒临崩溃。

工会表示：“今天，在法国的各个角落，我们的同事再次沦为出气筒。他们被石头砸伤，受伤，甚至落入真正的埋伏。每个人都应该承担起责任：这种情况不能再继续下去了。我们已不堪重负。”