Protests surge through France in “Act II” of mass mobilizations

A student demonstration has snowballed into a nationwide movement, testing authorities as efforts to contain the unrest fuel fresh controversy.PARIS (CN) — What began as a student demonstration in the Paris suburbs became “Act II” of a nationwide movement Saturday, as thousands marched through the rain chanting “Siamo tutti antifascisti!” and clapping the rhythm into the air.Yanis G., an assistant nurse at a public hospital, paused on the sidelines of the Pont National to watch the procession go by. He wore white hospital scrubs with “Angry healthcare workers” scribbled in red, resembling blood.“Everyone is hungry even though we work every day and have a salary every month,” he said, gazing at the protest. “When you’re alone [it can work] but when you have a 7-year-old daughter to feed and you’re struggling… we don’t understand the system.”Yanis G. said he makes roughly $2,200 a month, about half of which goes to rent. He rarely goes out and struggles to eat properly.“You have to pay attention to every cent and it’s tiring … and stressful for my daughter,” he said. “We don’t know where this system will bring us, and at a moment you have to demonstrate.”He is among hundreds of thousands protesting issues ranging from social injustice and rising gas prices to the housing crisis.Authorities are seeking to restore order after Oct. 17, when agitators looted shops, set fire to buildings and stoked chaos on the sidelines of protests. Yanis G. said the violence unfairly distracts from the movement and hopes media coverage focuses more on the struggles facing the French people.Protesters led chants from the top of a bus stop on Oct. 24, 2026. (Lily Radziemski/Courthouse News)Clara Afonso, a Parisian nursing student, watched Saturday’s march from the sidelines, also in white scrubs. She shared younger students’ concerns that buildings were unequipped for extreme temperatures. During a summer heatwave, her class took final exams in 100-degree weather without air conditioning, while in winter, she said, there is no heat.Afonso also criticized internships, saying students are poorly paid but held to the same standards as professionals.“We’re paid [roughly] $1 per hour during internships, but we have the same legal obligations as [the professionals],” she said. “If we accidentally kill someone by injecting the wrong way, we face the same repercussions.”The protest moving through Paris on Oct. 24, 2026. (Lily Radziemski/Courthouse News)In the hours before Saturday’s demonstration, logistical confusion angered prominent members of the far left, who blamed authorities for deliberately impeding participation.France’s constitution protects the right to demonstrate, but protests must be declared in advance so authorities can deploy police, divert public transportation and ensure protesters’ safety.On Thursday, the prefecture finalized an afternoon route with the Paris region’s inter-union group from Place de la Bastille to Nation. Shopkeepers boarded up storefronts and announced closures in preparation.But around 4 p.m. Friday, the prefecture changed the route to a roughly three-mile stretch from Porte d’Italie to Porte de Vincennes on the city’s outskirts. Prefecture spokesperson Hélène Denéchère cited security concerns following a terrorist attack in the Paris suburb of Trappes that killed one person and injured five others.The unions did not accept that explanation.“Changing the rules on the eve of a mobilization, after having obtained the agreement of the trade union organizations, is creating the conditions for disorder rather than those for appeasement… Beyond the method, this decision raises a fundamental question: that of respect for the freedom to demonstrate,” the inter-union coalition said in a statement on Friday. “The Île-de-France inter-union coalition refuses this dangerous game.”Protesters crossed the Pont National under the rain on Oct. 24, 2026. (Lily Radziemski/Courthouse News)During the protest on Saturday, Séverine Vincent, a grey-haired woman who was walking with the procession and puffing on an e-cigarette, shook her head in disbelief.“I think it’s a treason… to make a mess when there is no mess,” she said.Afonso predicted that the move would make people even more annoyed than before.“I think it’s really irresponsible of the government,” she said. “If it continues like this it’ll be fascism.”Hard-left France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon denounced the route change as a power play by the prefecture designed to deter and confuse demonstrators. He also raised concerns for local shopkeepers, who were given less than a day to prepare for the march.“Once again, those in power are playing the disruption of the marches and the impossible deadlines for reorganizing the organizations … These methods are multiplying across the entire country,” he posted on X on Friday night. “At the same time, the army is supposed to ensure the protection of official buildings, and the Paris police prefect has asked shopkeepers to provide their own means of protection, as if the State were announcing in advance that it is abandoning the protection of property.”Unions have called for a general strike on Nov. 5.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads