DOMINANT ANGLE
Kathmandu sees the French mobilization as a test of authority for Emmanuel Macron, just a few months ahead of the presidential election, rather than as a cost of living issue.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Interior Ministry estimates participation at 410,000 people, compared to 550,000 the previous week, with the CGT claiming nearly 800,000.
- 02
70,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed, 10,000 more than the previous weekend, after acknowledging an underestimation of the October 17 unrest.
- 03
Around 500 hooded youths were dispersed in Paris using tear gas and water cannons, with clashes also occurring in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Toulouse.
ANALYSIS
Katmandou, October 25, 2026. Nepal's press is reporting on Saturday's events, where over 400,000 people demonstrated across France against the high cost of living and for school funding, according to The Rising Nepal, which quotes the AP. The Ministry of the Interior estimates national participation at 410,000 people, down from 550,000 the previous week, while the CGT, which helped organize some of the marches, claims nearly 800,000. In Paris, 110,000 according to the ministry, 250,000 according to the union; the authorities confined the march to the southeast perimeter, far from the city center.
The account emphasizes the contrast between a initially peaceful procession, a week after riots and looting across the country, and the end of the march: masked protesters threw objects and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons. The Kathmandu Post, citing Reuters, describes around 500 hooded youths dispersed in the rain, followed by clashes in Marseille, where trash cans were set on fire and stores, including two jewelry stores, were vandalized, as well as in Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Rennes, Nantes, and Toulouse.
The deployment is presented in numbers: 70,000 police and gendarmes, 10,000 more than the previous week, after authorities acknowledged underestimating the extent of the October 17 unrest. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez accuses far-left militants and criminal gangs of seeking to provoke trouble and judges the violence to be less than a week earlier. According to the government, nearly 1,000 arrests had been made at the time of the AP report.
The main angle remains political: over a month of unrest, born from high school mobilizations for more resources and teachers, is testing Emmanuel Macron's authority in the final months of his term, ahead of the May election. The AP reports that the National Rally accuses the government of not protecting the population and calls to turn anger into votes for Marine Le Pen, while far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is also running. The two articles do not mention Italy or the Ministry of the Interior's final tally.
SOURCES (2)
- The Kathmandu PostMEDIUM
- The Rising NepalMEDIUM
