Follow-up: Nearly 1,000 Arrested Across France in Saturday Protests, Interior Minister Says Toll Will Rise

Paris — As France's latest round of nationwide protests wound down on Saturday, October 24, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Saturday evening that nearly 1,000 people had been arrested across the country during the day's demonstrations, and that the figure was expected to rise. GSM's earlier reporting on Saturday put the count far lower: the Paris prosecutor's office said 64 people had been arrested in the capital, 40 of them placed in custody, and the nationwide tally stood at about 135 by early evening.

According to The Associated Press, Nuñez said the marches had passed off well in cities, but that later in the day police found themselves confronted with what he called an "extremely elevated level of violence" from "ultra-left" groups. Earlier in the day he said police had confiscated weapons and other items during searches, including metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons.

The scale of the day's turnout had been reported earlier: the Interior Ministry put nationwide participation at about 410,000, including about 110,000 in Paris, while the CGT union, one of the organizers, estimated nearly 800,000 nationwide. The protests, over school funding and conditions and the rising cost of living, were the second consecutive Saturday of mass mobilization; the Paris march turned violent near its endpoint, and police used tear gas and water cannons in several cities.

As of Saturday evening, there had been no repeat of the large-scale rioting and looting seen the previous weekend, when about 2,700 people were arrested and about 3,000 shops were looted or damaged. (GSM, based on reporting by The Associated Press and Reuters)

Related: Follow-up: More Than 410,000 Rally Across France as Paris March Ends in Clashes

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 资料图：2026年10月17日，法国巴黎，民众在全国抗议游行中举着支持教师与青年、批评生活成本的标语牌（同属本轮抗议潮，非10月24日现场）。照片：Silanoc，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。/ File photo: Protesters hold placards backing teachers and young people and criticizing the cost of living during a nationwide march in Paris, France, on October 17, 2026 (same protest wave; not a scene from October 24). Photo: Silanoc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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