DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris is weighing the impact of a massive law enforcement operation: a calm procession, 1,314 arrests, and protesters worried about a "turn towards authoritarianism".
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Interior Ministry reported 1,314 arrests (142 in Paris), 53 police officers injured, and 75 fire interventions, with 410,000 to 800,000 protesters according to sources.
- 02
70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed; Emmanuel Macron announced that demonstrations called for by "people who have no legitimacy" would be systematically banned.
- 03
In Italy, the police announced 9 arrests and 371 brief detentions, including 110 minors, during demonstrations by a few thousand people in Rome and Milan.
ANALYSIS
Paris, October 25, 2026. One week after the riots of October 17, the mobilization day on Saturday, October 24, brought together between 410,000 people according to the authorities and 800,000 according to the CGT, including 110,000 to 250,000 in Paris. The Ministry of the Interior reported on Sunday 1,314 arrests, 53 police officers injured, and 75 interventions for fires, according to La Tribune. In Paris, the police prefecture counted 142 arrests, including 126 people in custody.
The press emphasizes the contrast with October 17. The procession, moved at the last minute from Bastille-Nation to the Porte d'Italie and the Porte de Vincennes, took place calmly, but clashes broke out at the end of the route. The spokesperson for the prefecture, Hélène Denéchère, mentioned on France Inter "500 thugs" and security conditions "diametrically opposed" to those of the previous week. Laurent Nuñez judged that "the processions went well," while deploring clashes in Marseille, Nantes, or Toulouse; two people were seriously injured, in Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand.
The security device is at the center of the stories: 70,000 police and gendarmes, armored vehicles, water cannons, helicopters, and elite units, reports HuffPost. Emmanuel Macron had announced, after a security council on Thursday, October 22, that requests for demonstrations from "people who have no legitimacy" would be systematically banned, while those from unions could be examined. 20 Minutes and L'Obs collect testimonials from protesters who see the change of route as "a tactic to exhaust us" and are alarmed about the rule of law; a former striker from May 68 denounces the grenades that tear off hands.
The demands remain the purchasing power and the conditions of high school and university students, recalls 20 Minutes. France 24 notes that the spotlight has returned to the grievances rather than the looting. The episode of CNews, which broadcast images of Albania presenting them as those of the Porte d'Italie, has fueled criticism coming mainly from La France insoumise, according to HuffPost.
The gaze also turns beyond the Alps. According to Le Monde, RFI, and BFMTV, the Italian demonstrations, of limited scope (around 3,000 people in Milan and Rome), resulted in 9 arrests and 371 brief detentions, including 110 minors, after a massive deployment and security reforms approved by Giorgia Meloni's government. Le Monde notes French slogans: "Everyone hates the police."
SOURCES (5)
- 20 MinutesMEDIUM
- HuffPost FranceMEDIUM
- L'ObsMEDIUM
- La TribuneMEDIUM
