France Deploys 70,000 Police as Protests Escalate Across Europe
Authorities prepare for a third weekend of demonstrations over cost of living and education, with unrest spreading to Germany, Spain, and Italy.
Sarah Connor
France mobilises 70,000 police officers for a third weekend of nationwide protests.
Over the past month, at least 4,000 individuals have been arrested during the disturbances. Shops and businesses board up storefronts, anticipating planned demonstrations.
Paris police banned union and yellow vest marches from the city centre, redirecting them to outer boulevards. Access to Place de la République and Les Halles is restricted between 11pm and 6am on Saturday and Sunday.
Unaccompanied minors face a 9pm curfew around the Champs-Elysees. Authorities counted approximately 550,000 marchers on October 17, with numbers dropping to 410,000 the following Saturday.
Yellow vest activists and trade unionists have joined the protests. The unrest began with high school students campaigning for increased education funding.
The movement has widened into a broader challenge to Emmanuel Macron’s government. Trade unions and left-wing groups now oppose economic reforms; police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters on the outskirts of Paris.
The unrest extends beyond France. An alliance called Gen Z regelt urges supporters to protest in German cities.
In Barcelona, Catalan police planned their highest-level alert after an anonymous TikTok network, Blocus, called for new gatherings. Italian police are also on alert following clashes in Milan, Turin, and Bologna.
Calls to protest have circulated on TikTok in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Portugal. French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, claims authorities identified social media posts for Halloween gatherings urging protesters to spark a “revolution.”
Police claim multiple social media calls for Halloween gatherings urge protesters 'to spark a revolution' and for people to dress up and gather for 'a night of darkness'. France has banned Halloween masks during anti-government protests.
Left-wing politicians claim paramilitary police units have provoked the crowds.