DOMINANT ANGLE
La Paz remembers the French day for its outcry against the high cost of living, driven by wages that are not keeping pace with prices, more than the riots that followed.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Between 550,000 and 800,000 people demonstrated in France on Saturday, October 17, according to the authorities and organizers respectively (La Razón).
- 02
About 400 people were arrested; Laurent Nuñez speaks of "several thousand rioters", including ultra-left groups and "opportunistic delinquents" (El Deber).
- 03
The mobilization was mainly about the cost of living, particularly the rise in fuel prices since the start of the war in the Middle East (La Razón).
ANALYSIS
La Paz, October 18, 2026. The Bolivian press is covering the French mobilization day of Saturday, October 17, from the angle of purchasing power. La Razón headlines with the slogan "Tomamos la Bastilla" and summarizes: protests against the rising cost of living shook France, as Emmanuel Macron faces a convulsive end to his term, six months before the presidential election that will designate his successor.
The daily newspaper recalls the origin of the gathering: a call launched on social networks, entitled "Jaunes et Jeunes", inviting people to demonstrate alongside the yellow vests, Generation Z, farmers, teachers, climate activists, and retirees. The slogans cited are "À bas le système" and "Macron démission". The newspaper estimates the participation at between 550,000 and 800,000 people, according to the authorities and organizers respectively.
La Razón acknowledges that most of the processions were peaceful, but estimates that they were overshadowed by clashes between police and protesters, looting of businesses, and unauthorized marches that sowed chaos in the centers of large cities, with invasions of town halls. The authorities announced an initial toll of around 400 arrests. Macron wrote on X that those who destroyed, attacked prefectures and businesses, and looted town halls "will be pursued and punished".
The account emphasizes the economic dimension: if the protesters also criticized the police action against student protests since late September, the mobilization was primarily about the rise in the cost of living, particularly that of fuel since the start of the war in the Middle East. The newspaper gives the floor to Franck, a civil servant who came to demonstrate in Guéret with around 300 people: "At the end of the month, I have nothing left, prices are rising but not salaries."
El Deber, on the other hand, focuses on the police aspect. It reports that the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, emphasized that the "immense majority" of those arrested are adults, which proves, according to him, that there were "several thousand rioters", among whom he identified ultra-left groups and "opportunistic delinquents". The two media outlets converge on the figure of 400 arrests, but the first gives voice to the protesters while the second takes up that of the minister.
