Clashes erupt in France and Germany during third wave of protests

Clashes erupted in Paris, Marseille, and other cities across France on 31 October during a third wave of protests over deteriorating public services and the cost of living, according to the Guardian. The Times of Israel and Riviera Radio both reported that police fired teargas at demonstrators, while Riviera Radio and the Guardian noted that unrest also spread to Germany. [1][2][7]

The French interior ministry stated that about 320,000 people demonstrated across the country, down from an estimated 410,000 the previous weekend, the Guardian reported. In Paris, 70,000 people marched along boulevards on the south-eastern outskirts, with some participants wearing Halloween fancy dress. Before the rallies took place, Morocco World News reported that France deployed 70,000 police officers. [1][10]

Protests over poor school and economic conditions have taken place in France since September 2026, when student demonstrations began in Créteil, as FTMQ News reported earlier. In early October, these actions developed into a nationwide mobilization of students, teachers, and trade unions that became part of a wider wave of European unrest. [12][15]

In Germany, police officers fired teargas to disperse crowds as evening fell on 31 October, according to the Guardian. Reports from LBC, Riviera Radio, and The Journal previously noted that authorities across Europe had braced for major protests scheduled across the continent. [1][6][7][8]