More than 400,000 protest across France, challenging Macron as Paris clashes erupt

More than 400,000 people rallied across France on Saturday over school funding and soaring living costs, while clashes broke out in Paris and other cities. The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 protesters nationwide, while the CGT union estimated nearly 800,000. The demonstrations are testing President Emmanuel Macron’s authority in the final months of his presidency, ahead of voters choosing his successor in May. Police made nearly 1,000 arrests, the government said.

The Interior Ministry counted 110,000 protesters in Paris, while the CGT estimated 250,000 there.

The ministry counted 289 protests nationwide, and authorities said 70,000 officers were deployed with helicopters, armored vehicles and other support.

Energy prices in France were 21.3 percent higher in September than a year earlier, contributing to overall inflation of 3.1 percent, according to INSEE.

Student groups are seeking 250,000 additional higher-education places, an end to selection through Parcoursup, an extra 200 euros a month in student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing.

Education Ministry figures show that 15.4 million teaching hours were lost in public middle and high schools during the 2024-25 school year because absent teachers were not replaced, equal to 7.5 percent of scheduled teaching time.

Published Oct 25, 2026 12:47 am KST

Updated Oct 25, 2026 1:14 pm KST

Protesters stand amid tear gas at Place de la Bourse, in a protest ban zone, as part of a demonstration in favor of purchasing power, the protection of public services, and fiscal and social justice, in Bordeaux, western France, Oct. 24. AFP-Yonhap

PARIS — Clashes erupted in Paris as a mass march drew to a close Saturday, with more than 400,000 people rallying across France over school funding and soaring living costs in a fresh challenge to President Emmanuel Macron. Police made nearly 1,000 arrests, the government said.

The Paris march began peacefully, a week after widespread rioting and looting during protests across the country. But near the demonstration's endpoint in eastern Paris, masked protesters hurled objects and fireworks at police, who answered with clouds of tear gas, deafening sound grenades and jets of water cannons.

Officers with megaphones urged protesters to disperse. Some demonstrators panicked as tear-gas canisters landed in their midst, scattering with screams. Veteran protesters shouted after them: “Don’t run!”

The Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at 410,000 — fewer than the 550,000 it said protested last weekend — while the CGT union that helped organize some of Saturday's protests estimated nearly 800,000. The ministry’s estimate included 110,000 in Paris, where authorities confined the march to the city’s southeastern edge, away from the center. The CGT put the number of protesters in Paris at 250,000.

Unrest is challenging Macron's final months in power

More than a month of unrest that started with protests in high schools for more funding and teachers is testing Macron’s authority in the final months of his presidency before voters choose his successor in May.

The stakes are high: The far-right National Rally party has accused his government of failing to protect the public and urged people to channel their anger into votes for its candidate Marine Le Pen. On the far left, presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon has backed demonstrators and criticized policing that has left some teenage protesters with life-changing injuries.

As dusk fell Saturday, violence erupted at the end of some of the 289 protests counted by the Interior Ministry nationwide. Street fires burned in the cities of Marseille and Lyon. Police used tear gas in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Strasbourg and Bordeaux and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. In Nice, far-right extremists fought with demonstrators downtown and 11 people were arrested, regional authorities said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police made nearly 1,000 arrests but added that the number is expected to increase significantly as more are counted.

Nuñez said beefed-up policing, with 70,000 officers backed by helicopters, armored vehicles and other support, helped prevent a repeat of widespread looting and damage to shops the previous weekend.

A protester throws a bottle as clashes erupt during a demonstration in favor of purchasing power, the protection of public services, and fiscal and social justice, in Toulouse, southwestern France, Oct. 24. AFP-Yonhap

A small protest became a national movement

What began last month as a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris has spread nationwide, drawing students demanding better schools and workers seeking higher wages and pensions.

Energy prices in France were 21.3% higher in September than a year earlier, helping drive overall inflation to 3.1%, according to the national statistics agency, INSEE.

Macron met high school representatives Friday. They said he had promised to overhaul university admissions, but called for protests to continue until concrete measures are announced.

More than half a million people took to the streets last Saturday. Some 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted over the weekend.

Shops board up and museums close

Gendarmes stood guard beneath the Arc de Triomphe as shopkeepers boarded up storefronts across Paris. Near the Saint-Lazare train station Saturday, Akram Ahmed, a 34-year-old contractor, was boarding up an optician’s shop.

“I got the call last night,” he said. “The owner seemed desperate. He said I was saving his life.”

Major museums, including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais — where a major Cézanne exhibit is on display — were shuttered Saturday .

Art Basel, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public Friday, but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program.

Some protests have been banned

Police changed the Paris route Friday. At Bastille, the original starting point, police used a megaphone to tell people to leave or face a 135-euro ($150) fine.

Soumaya Abed, a 58-year-old nurse wearing a red CGT union vest, said she had been joining protests for more than 30 years but had never seen a march start at Porte d’Italie.

“They are using what happened last week as an excuse to quiet protesters,” she said. “But it won’t stop the movement. It won’t stop students from demanding better conditions in schools.”

A protest march was also scheduled in Marseille, but in cities including Nice and Montpellier, as well as Lyon, rallies were banned by the local authorities.

Thousands also marched Saturday in Orléans, south of Paris, in a separate peaceful protest against the far right as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally held a two-day congress in the city.

Trade unions have criticized the bans, calling them violations of freedom of expression, which is protected by the constitution.

Macron, a centrist, has entered the crisis in the final stretches of his term with his popularity at its lowest since he took office in 2017. He has said that the measures are needed to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings.

Nuñez acknowledged Monday that police had lost control in some cities during last weekend’s unrest. He offered to resign, but Macron refused the offer.

Students and workers are angry

Student groups want 250,000 more places in higher education and an end to selection through Parcoursup, the national admissions system.

Their joint 10-point plan also calls for more teachers and repairs to schools and universities.

Public middle and high schools lost 15.4 million teaching hours in the 2024-25 school year because absent teachers were not replaced, according to Education Ministry figures. That amounted to 7.5% of scheduled teaching time.

They are also seeking help with everyday costs: an extra 200 euros ($224) a month in student grants and a rent freeze in public student housing.

Paris protester Louis Ledoux--Xatard voiced frustration over inequality.

“Looking at countries like the United States, we don’t want to end up like them, where part of the population has everything and the others have nothing,” he said.

“I never imagined that I’d be taking to the streets so much before my thirties.”

周六，超过40万法国民众走上街头，抗议学校经费不足和生活成本飙升，巴黎和其他城市爆发了冲突。法国内政部统计全国共有41万名抗议者，而法国总工会（CGT）估计人数接近80万。这些示威活动正在考验总统马克龙在其任期最后几个月的权威，选民将于5月选出他的继任者。政府称，警方逮捕了近1000人。

内政部统计巴黎有 11 万名抗议者，而法国总工会估计有 25 万人。

该部统计全国共发生 289 起抗议活动，当局表示已部署 7 万名警力，并出动直升机、装甲车和其他支援力量。

根据法国国家统计与经济研究所 (INSEE) 的数据，9 月份法国能源价格比去年同期上涨了 21.3%，导致整体通货膨胀率为 3.1%。

学生团体正在寻求增加 25 万个高等教育名额、停止通过 Parcoursup 进行选拔、每月增加 200 欧元学生助学金以及冻结公共学生住房租金。

教育部数据显示，2024-25 学年公立中学因教师缺勤未得到补位而损失了 1540 万个教学小时，相当于计划教学时间的 7.5%。

发布于2026年10月25日凌晨12:47（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月25日下午1:14（韩国标准时间）

10月24日，在法国西部城市波尔多，抗议者聚集在交易所广场（Place de la Bourse），在抗议禁令区内，他们冒着催泪瓦斯举行示威活动，呼吁提高购买力、保护公共服务以及维护财政和社会公正。法新社-韩联社

巴黎——周六，一场大规模游行接近尾声时，巴黎爆发了冲突。超过40万民众在法国各地举行集会，抗议学校经费不足和生活成本飙升，这再次向总统马克龙发起挑战。政府称，警方逮捕了近1000人。

巴黎游行开始时和平进行，此前一周，全国各地爆发了大规模的抗议活动，并伴有骚乱和抢劫。但在游行队伍接近巴黎东部终点时，蒙面示威者向警察投掷物品和烟花，警方则以催泪瓦斯、震耳欲聋的声波弹和高压水炮还击。

警察用扩音器敦促示威者散去。催泪瓦斯罐落在示威者中间，一些示威者惊慌失措，尖叫着四散奔逃。一些经验丰富的示威者在他们身后高喊：“别跑！”

内政部公布的全国参与人数为41万人，低于上周末公布的55万人。而参与组织周六部分抗议活动的法国总工会（CGT）则估计参与人数接近80万人。内政部的估计人数包括巴黎的11万人，当局将游行限制在巴黎东南郊区，远离市中心。法国总工会则估计巴黎的抗议人数为25万人。

动荡局势给马克龙执政的最后几个月带来了挑战。

持续一个多月的动荡始于高中学生要求增加经费和教师的抗议活动，这考验着马克龙在总统任期最后几个月的权威，选民将在5月份选出他的继任者。

形势严峻：极右翼的国民联盟党指责他的政府未能保护公众，并敦促民众将愤怒转化为选票，支持该党候选人玛丽娜·勒庞。在极左翼阵营，总统候选人让-吕克·梅朗雄则支持示威者，并批评警方执法不力，导致一些青少年抗议者终身残疾。

周六黄昏时分，据​​法国内政部统计，全国共发生289起抗议活动，其中一些活动在尾声阶段爆发暴力冲突。马赛和里昂等城市街头燃起大火。法国媒体报道称，警方在里昂、克莱蒙费朗、斯特拉斯堡和波尔多使用了催泪瓦斯，在尼斯和南特使用了高压水炮。尼斯地区当局表示，在尼斯市中心，极右翼分子与示威者发生冲突，11人被捕。

内政部长洛朗·努涅斯表示，警方已逮捕近1000人，但他补充说，随着更多人员被统计在内，预计逮捕人数还会大幅增加。

努涅斯表示，加强警力部署，出动 7 万名警员，并配备直升机、装甲车和其他支援力量，有助于防止上周末大规模抢劫和商店破坏事件再次发生。

10月24日，在法国西南部城市图卢兹，一场支持购买力、保护公共服务以及财政和社会公正的示威活动爆发冲突，一名抗议者投掷瓶子。法新社-韩联社

一场小规模抗议演变成一场全国性运动

上个月，巴黎东南部一所高中因师资短缺而爆发的抗议活动已经蔓延到全国，学生们要求改善学校条件，工人们则要求提高工资和养老金。

据法国国家统计局 (INSEE) 的数据显示，9 月份法国能源价格比去年同期上涨了 21.3%，推动整体通胀率达到 3.1%。

马克龙周五会见了高中代表。代表们表示，他曾承诺改革大学招生制度，但呼吁民众继续抗议，直到政府公布具体措施。

上周六，超过50万人走上街头。周末期间，法国各地约有3000家商店遭到破坏或洗劫。

商店纷纷关门歇业，博物馆也关闭了。

在巴黎凯旋门下，宪兵们站岗放哨，而巴黎各地的店主们则忙着用木板封住店面。周六，在圣拉扎尔火车站附近，34岁的承包商阿克拉姆·艾哈迈德正在给一家眼镜店封门。

“我昨晚接到电话，”他说。“店主看起来很绝望。他说我救了他的命。”

包括卢浮宫、奥赛博物馆、毕加索博物馆和大皇宫（正在那里举办塞尚大型展览）在内的主要博物馆于周六关闭。

世界最负盛名的当代艺术博览会之一——巴塞尔艺术展于周五向公众开放，但仅限一天，由于存在动荡的威胁，组织者取消了周末的活动。

部分抗议活动已被禁止

警方周五更改了巴黎的游行路线。在原定的起点巴士底狱，警方使用扩音器告知人们离开，否则将面临 135 欧元（150 美元）的罚款。

58 岁的护士苏玛雅·阿贝德身穿红色 CGT 工会背心，她说她参加抗议活动已经超过 30 年了，但从未见过游行队伍从意大利门出发。

“他们正利用上周发生的事情作为借口来压制抗议者，”她说。“但这不会阻止这场运动。这不会阻止学生们要求改善学校条件。”

马赛也计划举行抗议游行，但包括尼斯、蒙彼利埃和里昂在内的多个城市，地方当局禁止了集会。

周六，数千人在巴黎以南的奥尔良举行游行，进行另一场反对极右翼的和平抗议活动。与此同时，玛丽娜·勒庞领导的国民集会在该市举行了为期两天的代表大会。

工会批评了这些禁令，称其侵犯了受宪法保护的言论自由。

中间派的马克龙在其任期即将结束之际卷入了这场危机，他的支持率也跌至自2017年上任以来的最低点。他表示，采取这些措施是为了保护市中心、企业和公共建筑。

努涅斯周一承认，上周末的骚乱中，一些城市的警方失去了控制。他提出辞职，但遭到马克龙拒绝。

学生和工人都很愤怒

学生团体希望高等教育增加 25 万个名额，并结束通过国家招生系统 Parcoursup 进行选拔的做法。

他们共同提出的十点计划还包括增加教师人数以及对中小学和大学进行修缮。

据教育部数据显示，由于教师缺勤后未能得到补位，2024-2025学年公立初高中损失了1540万个教学小时，相当于计划教学时间的7.5%。

他们还寻求帮助以支付日常开支：每月额外获得 200 欧元（224 美元）的学生补助金，以及冻结公共学生住房的租金。

巴黎抗议者路易·勒杜-萨塔尔表达了对不平等的不满。

他说：“看看像美国这样的国家，我们不想落得和他们一样的下场，一部分人拥有一切，而另一部分人却一无所有。”

“我从未想过自己会在三十岁之前如此频繁地走上街头。”