France protests latest: Macron to address nation as Trump says ‘France is burning’ and hits out at protesters

Emmanuel Macron is set to address France after a day of protest that descended into rioters setting fire to cars and buildings – with at least 1,800 people arrested. More than 500,000 people took to the streets before violent groups clashed with police officers in demonstrations across the country.In Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse, with the lootings of hundreds of businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, and other cities.The French president is set to hold an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon, before addressing the nation at 8pm. US president Donald Trump hit out at the protesters, writing on social media: “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country.” French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu attributed some of the violence to "radical far-left groups".The protests began last ‌month at high schools in Paris' poor northern suburbs, where anger over teacher absences and shabby facilities quickly morphed into a nationwide movement against inequality, weak public spending and falling standards.Protests spill over into Italy, Spain, Portugal and BelgiumProtests have also taken place in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium over the weekend over government corruption, housing issues and the cost of living. In Milan, protests against rising costs ended with masked rioters throwing stones, with a water cannon and teargas deployed to control the crowds.Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said that while demonstrating was a right, “setting our cities ablaze is not”.In Lisbon, a tent camp which is similar to the one established three weeks ago in Madrid has been set up, with protesters demanding action to tackle the housing crisis and rallying overnight at Rossio Square. In Brussels, violent clashes erupted between police and hundreds of anti-fascist and student protesters in a movement inspired by the demonstrations in France. Demonstrators react to tear gas fired by police during a students' protest in Brussels, Belgium (Reuters)Holly Evans18 October 2026 14:29Protests over poor living and education standards also take place in Albania Elsewhere, police in Albania said that 388 people had been charged with criminal offences as widespread protests take place in the capital Tirana. Prime minister Edi Rama on Sunday rejected calls to step down from growing street protests, and said they were ⁠a threat not to his government but to Albania's progress toward joining the European Union.Student-led demonstrations, fuelled by anger over perceived government corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards, have engulfed central Tirana and spread to other cities in the past week.Protests against lack of jobs and poor education standards have also taken place in Albania (AP)Demonstrators demanding Rama's resignation have ⁠set fire to government buildings as well as ​banks ⁠and pulled up paving stones to throw at police, who have responded with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.The unrest, which followed months of largely ⁠peaceful protests in the summer against a luxury coastal development backed by US President Donald ​Trump's ⁠son-in-law Jared Kushner, pose the biggest challenge ‌yet to Rama, who has governed since 2013 and last year won a fourth term in office."I am not being challenged, the government is not being challenged, a ‌government majority or a winning party in the elections ‌is not being challenged but a path is being challenged, a mission is being challenged," Rama said in a live address on Facebook.Holly Evans18 October 2026 14:16Parisians blame 'troublemakers' who turned protest into riotInspecting the damage, many Parisians took photos of the partially dismantled base of the central monument at Place de la République — a statue of Marianne, a symbol of France.Jean Foissy, 74, said he wanted to join the protest but found "a wall of riot police and fires everywhere," and went back home."I was very scared," he said. "I've been a Parisian since I was born, so when I got here, it almost made me want to cry because I find it so bad, it hurts me."Margaux Eude, 26, said she supports the protest movement but "didn't think it would escalate like this.""It's the troublemakers who came, and it breaks my heart because it delegitimises the movement," she said.Police officers run past a fire at the Boulevard des Capucines during a demonstration to protest against the "high cost of living", in Paris on October 17 (AFP/Getty)Holly Evans18 October 2026 14:13Donald Trump says 'France is burning!' on social media US president Donald Trump posted "France is burning!" on his Truth Social platform, apparently linking the unrest to "the immigration of people from an entirely different world.""Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!" he wrote.Holly Evans18 October 2026 14:1019th century Limoges city hall destroyed and widespread damage in ParisAuthorities said masked groups on Saturday set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in several cities.In Limoges, a city in central France, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall, causing its roof to collapse. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate told LCI television that the fire was deliberately set and nearly destroyed the building. The fire was under control Sunday.Around Paris' Place de la République on Sunday morning, dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass marked the aftermath of the events. Looting and damage were reported around the square and in some other tourist and shopping areas in the city centre.Fire burning and destroying Limoges city hall after a group of individuals forced entry into the building (AFP/Getty)Holly Evans18 October 2026 13:591,800 arrested with one dead from a suspected heart attackPolice arrested at least 1,800 people across France after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during nationwide demonstrations that drew hundreds of thousands of people who denounced rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.Paris police said Sunday that 855 people were arrested in the French capital region alone. About 550,000 took part in protests across France, according to authorities, while organizers counted about 800,000. More than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, Nuñez said.One person died of a heart attack, Paris police said in a statement, without providing details. Paris prosecutors' office said it was investigating.Protesters at Place De La Republique in Paris, set a fire during a march against rising living costs (PA)Holly Evans18 October 2026 13:56Emmanuel Macron to address the nation after violent protests French president Emmanuel Macron is set to address the nation at 8pm, after holding an emergency meeting with top government officials on Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, he wrote on social media: “No room for violence in our Republic. Those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished.”"The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not," Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X, pointing to the lootings of hundreds of businesses in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges and other cities.Emmanuel Macron is set to address the French nation (Reuters)Holly Evans18 October 2026 13:54Around 1,200 protesters arrested across major French cities French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Saturday evening that some 1,200 people had been arrested as part of the protests, which a union said involved up to 800,000 demonstrators.Large groups gathered in Paris and Marseille ahead of the official marches and hours later protests erupted across the whole country.Masked protesters stormed Marseille's town hall after ramming the doors with security barriers in the morning, and were followed by attacks on town halls in Grenoble and Lille.Protesters later set fire to the tourism office in Lyon in eastern France and attempted to prevent firefighters from tackling the blaze.Adam Withnall18 October 2026 08:03French police response under scrutinyThe 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.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. Prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said more than 150 police officers had been injured in Saturday's protests, but did not say whether any protesters had ⁠been hurt.Interior minister Laurent 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."Adam Withnall18 October 2026 06:22French PM says government 'will not be intimidated'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.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 the number of protesters at 800,000.Adam Withnall18 October 2026 04:30