DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow tallies the French police deployment: 70,000 agents, curfews and more than 1,300 arrests, against the backdrop of a presidential election where candidates are arguing over the crisis.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The French Interior Ministry reported 1,314 arrests and 53 police officers injured during the October 24 protests (Vedomosti, according to France 24).
- 02
According to Vedomosti, 70,000 police officers were mobilized, the Parisian procession was limited to the southeast of the capital, and demonstrations were banned in several cities with an extended curfew.
- 03
The authorities count 410,000 protesters, the CGT 800,000; unions and yellow vests announce new days of action on October 31 and November 5.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, October 25, 2026. Russian media are reporting on the new day of mobilization in France from the perspective of maintaining order. Meduza recalls that the protests have been going on since late September in over 100 cities and towns. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, 135 people had already been arrested by 1 pm local time, most during preventive checks, after "the discovery of objects that could be used as weapons." At that point, he counted 136 protest actions, compared to 264 the previous week.
Vedomosti, citing Bloomberg, emphasizes the mobilization of 70,000 law enforcement members, including elite anti-terrorist units, to avoid a repeat of the previous weekend's unrest. The newspaper describes the Parisian procession limited to the southeast periphery, between the Porte d'Italie and the Porte de Vincennes, the Place de la Bastille evacuated by loudspeakers, tear gas in Lyon, and a water cannon in Nantes. Barricaded shops, the Louvre, Orsay Museum, and Picasso Museum closed, and the PSG-Lyon match postponed: the capital is shown to be under siege.
The next day, Vedomosti picks up the tally from France 24: 1,314 arrests, 53 law enforcement officers injured, and 142 arrested in Paris. A protester had their hand seriously injured in Toulouse. The authorities count 410,000 protesters, while the CGT claims 800,000. The newspaper notes that high school and student organizations are awaiting announcements on October 26 after their meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, that unions are preparing a strike day on November 5, and that the yellow vests are announcing further gatherings on October 31. It also relays information from Blast: Lecornu allegedly asked four operators to be ready to temporarily cut off TikTok and Instagram.
RT, on the other hand, shifts the focus to domestic politics. According to its report, the Élysée hopefuls are turning the streets into flames and accusations of police violence into campaign ammunition. Marine Le Pen denounces a state without authority and demands harsher penalties; Jean-Luc Mélenchon reproaches the government for not listening to the people. RT also reports on the cases of a 15-year-old teenager and a 17-year-old girl being mutilated in Mulhouse. None of the articles in the pool mention the extension of the protests to Italy.
SOURCES (3)
- VedomostiMEDIUM
