France bans Halloween masks and puts 70,000 police on the streets ahead of feared 'night of darkness' protests

France is heading into its third straight weekend of demonstrations over living costs, education and opposition to Emmanuel Macron's government, with more than 4,000 people detained across the country during a month of sustained unrest that has left hundreds injured. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described Saturday as a day of "very high risk" to public order, saying authorities were closely monitoring social-media calls for a "night of darkness" uprising. The country's chamber of commerce reported roughly 2,500 businesses were caught up in earlier rioting, 47 per cent of them seriously damaged.

Paris police prohibited marches from the city centre, redirecting protesters to the eastern ring road between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton.

Youth-led unrest is spreading across Europe, with Germany's "Gen Z regelt" movement mobilising supporters in more than 30 cities, including an expected 10,000 at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

Chamber of commerce president Alain Di Crescenzo said shopkeepers are desperate for Saturday to pass without incident, warning that Halloween masks make it almost impossible to manage crowds.