Police fire tear gas at masked rioters as 320,000 march across France on Halloween and unrest spreads to Germany
Riot police advance on protesters in Paris on 24 October 2026, as France braces for a third consecutive weekend of unrest that has left 2,500 businesses damaged and hundreds of millions of euros in losses.A device thrown at Paris police explodes, setting an officer's leg alight near Porte de Charenton, as at least 300 arrests were made across France by Saturday afternoon.
Officers near Porte de Charenton in Paris were targeted with objects resembling Molotov cocktails on Saturday evening, leaving several injured, as France's protests turned violent after dark for the third weekend running. French authorities put the nationwide turnout at 320,000 — a drop from 410,000 the previous weekend — while youth-led demonstrations broke out across 34 German cities including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had prohibited Halloween masks and flagged a 'very high risk' of disorder, putting 70,000 police on duty and pushing Paris marches toward the city's outskirts.
In Lyon, militants set US and Israeli flags alight on the roof of a tram shelter; in Bordeaux, crowds cheered as a Macron piñata was attacked with a sword.
By Saturday afternoon at least 300 arrests had been made across France — fewer than the 800 recorded at the same stage last weekend — bringing the month's total to 4,000.
