Third weekend of youth-led protests in France as rallies spread across Europe

Summary

Youth-led protests over living costs and education entered a third weekend in France on Saturday and spread to other European countries. PBS NewsHour reports that about 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed across France after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween. POLITICO reports that hundreds of thousands of protesters marched across France for a third week in a row, and that cities across Europe faced a wave of protests against the rising cost of living. RFI reports that hundreds of thousands of mostly young protesters, some dressed as clowns and witches for Halloween, took to the streets, and that police fired tear gas in Paris after clashes broke out at the end of the march. RFI also reports that youth rallies were held in Germany and Italy.

Timeline

1. PBS NewsHour

   31 Oct 2026, 17:14 UTCSource ↗

   PBS NewsHour reports that about 70,000 police and gendarmes were deployed across France after Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder, especially after dark on Halloween.

2. POLITICO

   31 Oct 2026, 17:33 UTCSource ↗

   POLITICO reports that hundreds of thousands of protesters marched across France for a third week in a row, and that cities across Europe faced a wave of protests against the rising cost of living.

3. RFI

   31 Oct 2026, 17:46 UTCSource ↗

   RFI reports that hundreds of thousands of mostly young protesters, some dressed as clowns and witches for Halloween, took to the streets across France on Saturday over living costs and education, that police fired tear gas in Paris after clashes broke out at the end of the march, and that youth rallies were also held in Germany and Italy.