France to deploy about 70,000 security forces ahead of Saturday protests, minister says

France will deploy about 70,000 security forces nationwide on Saturday 24 October 2026 to keep order during cost-of-living protests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced the figure at a press conference on Friday 23 October. The Guardian, France 24, SCMP and Reuters all reported it.

Nuñez said calls for violence were circulating. The Guardian and SCMP said these were on social media. Reuters and SCMP said they included calls for looting. The Guardian and Reuters said he attributed the calls to the "ultra-left". The reports do not describe the posts themselves.

President Emmanuel Macron chaired a meeting of senior ministers and officials on Friday. SCMP described it as his defence council.

The deployment follows violence on the fringes of demonstrations the previous weekend. The Guardian and SCMP described it as some of the worst street violence in France in years. The wider movement grew out of high school students' protests over conditions at their schools.

Security plans and restrictions

According to The Guardian, Nuñez said the forces would include elite units usually used for counter-terrorism operations and hostage rescues. He said there would be 10,000 more police, with water cannon, armoured vehicles, mounted police, helicopters and drones. The report does not say what the 10,000 figure is compared with.

The Guardian reported that the government has admitted it "lost control" over rioting the previous Saturday. It said largely peaceful demonstrations turned into violence and looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities. In Limoges, the town hall was set on fire and partly destroyed. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 217 people, half of them first-time offenders, had been jailed since then.

According to The Guardian, several cities have banned demonstrations or required route changes. Paris authorised a union march between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation. It refused rallies by the student union UNEF and the gilets jaunes movement. Marseille allowed one union demonstration on an "exceptional basis". The Louvre and other Paris cultural institutions said they would close on Saturday.

According to aides quoted by SCMP, Macron is postponing a planned visit to Nigeria and Senegal.

What is disputed

The refusals of rallies are being challenged in court in several cities, The Guardian reported. The reports do not include the outcome. UNEF says its rallies will go ahead.

What each side says

Nuñez said calls for violence came from "ultra-left" groups. "We are not talking about a peaceful, friendly demonstration," he told reporters, according to The Guardian. He added: "We will be uncompromising with rioters, looters and all who commit violence."

On Thursday, Macron called for "the utmost severity" against acts of delinquency, according to The Guardian. He blamed gangs for most looting and "ultra-left" groups for the worst violence.

Marylise Léon, general secretary of the CFDT union, accused Macron of an abuse of authority. "It's not for the president to decide who can legitimately protest," she said, according to The Guardian. La France Insoumise said the government had "crossed the lines that separate a democracy from an authoritarian and police state".

Analysis

The weekend tests two goals the government and its critics weigh differently: preventing a repeat of the previous Saturday's violence and preserving the right to protest. A calm day could be read by officials as support for a firm approach. Critics may still argue the bans went too far. Renewed unrest, or rallies held despite refusals, could sharpen the dispute over policing. Court rulings on the bans may shape how authorities handle future protests. The movement's roots in school conditions, and Macron's planned meeting with pupils' representatives, suggest the underlying grievances are likely to outlast any single weekend.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.