61 Detained in Paris as France Holds Nationwide Cost of Living Protests

Updated 12:49 UTC, Oct 17, 2026. Arrests across France rose to 166 by midday, the interior ministry said, with 100 of them in Paris alone, up from 61 detained in the Paris area in the morning. At least 32,800 people had already taken part in 140 demonstrations, and at least 170,000 people were expected on Saturday afternoon. In Marseille, a police station was vandalized and rioters entered city hall, Mayor Benoit Payan said. He told BFMTV the damage was fairly limited, but he called the act unacceptable. Tear gas hung over Place de la Republique in Paris, where two water cannon trucks stood ready and main roads into the square were blocked.

Police detained 61 people in the Paris area on Saturday morning as a nationwide day of protests against the cost of living got under way across France, CNews reported, citing the police tally. AFP put the figure at around 60. Riot police fired tear gas in the capital before the main march started.

The Yellow Vest movement called the day a "yellow and youth" protest and appealed to teachers, students, workers, pensioners and farmers to join on the first day of the half term holidays. Organisers said more than 600 demonstrations were planned. The main Paris march was set to start at 2 p.m. at Place de la Republique.

Clashes in Marseille and Lyon

In Marseille, protesters attacked a police building, an AFP photographer saw. Demonstrators clashed with police, who answered with tear gas, and briefly blocked a main road with rubbish bins and scooters before officers cleared it.

In Lyon, the Rhone prefecture said police dispersed several groups of demonstrators, around forty people on the Guillotiere bridge, around fifteen at the Feyssine roundabout and around ten near the Feyzin refinery. Officers also moved in along the banks of the Rhone, where around a hundred people had gathered.

In Rennes, around 20 people set up a barricade of trash bins and large pallets on the edge of a shopping mall. Christophe, a 47 year old carpenter and former Yellow Vest protester, told AFP he was angry after seeing what he called police brutality against teenagers in recent weeks.

In Paris, authorities banned demonstrations near government buildings, the Elysee Palace, Matignon and the Champs Elysees, and around train stations. Police checked IDs outside Saint Lazare station. Protesters in balaclavas threw projectiles and broke windows at the headquarters of the television broadcaster CNews, AFP reported.

From school protests to a wider movement

Saturday follows weeks of high school blockades that began on Sep 18, 2026 in Creteil, a Paris suburb. Students have protested over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and run down buildings. The protests have at times turned violent, and rights groups have accused police of using disproportionate force.

The CGT union backs Saturday's protests, calling for higher wages and pensions, lower prices and public services that meet people's needs. A masked student in Marseille, who gave her name as Aude, said protesters were there over the poor resources given to education and against police brutality. A survey of 2,000 people published earlier this month found around 45 percent of French people worried about the cost of living and inflation, AFP reported.

Macron appeals for calm

President Emmanuel Macron appealed for calm on Friday, Oct 16, 2026 in Brussels. He said the right to protest had to go with respect for people and property, and he called people who come only to cause damage unacceptable.

The day is a test of the mood in France a few months before the two round elections in April and May to choose Macron's successor. Far left leader Jean Luc Melenchon has backed the student protests and marched in a demonstration on Tuesday. Marine Le Pen, who leads opinion polls for the presidential race, has put her National Rally party on the side of the police, AFP reported.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told France 2 that police could use stun grenades in case of extremely serious urban violence. Their use had been suspended during the student protests after a stun grenade blew off the hand of a 15 year old.