Switzerland

Berne, October 18, 2026. The French-speaking and German-speaking Swiss press describe a France "stunned" in the aftermath of Saturday, October 17, where 550,000 people, according to official figures (800,000 according to the CGT), marched against the "high cost of living". Le Temps reports that the French are "seeking explanations and those responsible", six months before the presidential election.

The balance sheet varies depending on the time of publication. SRF quotes Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez: 1,800 arrests and 500 police and firefighters injured, then, later, more than 2,000 arrests and 600 injured. Le Temps reports 2,397 arrests and 997 police and gendarmes injured, including 855 arrests in Paris, a "record figure" according to the police prefecture. SRF reports the death of a protester, who died of a heart attack in Paris.

The Sunday evening speech is reported with nuance. Le Temps notes that Emmanuel Macron, who until then had only made brief statements, spoke of "anger" and "shame", promised that "those who destroyed must pay", and questioned the intelligence received before the demonstration. SRF emphasizes another aspect: the president asked not to confuse the protesters with "legitimate demands" with those who "destroyed and looted", announced consultations with high school students, unions, and employers, and left it up to the prefects to ban gatherings.

The causes occupy a central place. SRF lists the rise in fuel prices, food, and energy, difficulties in schools, agricultural concerns, and recalls that the call came from social networks under the slogan "On en a marre". Le Temps traces the spark back to the distress of high school students and evokes the return of the yellow vests, relying on the New York Times and the Ansa agency.

The political aspect is presented as a shift of responsibilities. SRF correspondent Zoe Geissler notes that the camps "are blaming each other": the government blames La France insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon accuses "the leadership in Paris" of having allowed chaos to settle in, and Marine Le Pen speaks of a "threat to democracy".

Limoges becomes a symbol: Le Temps describes a town hall destroyed by fire, attributed by the authorities to "a savage horde" of 800 individuals, and notes that US Vice President J. D. Vance commented on the event on social media.