France moves to ban protests as riots, looting and curfews follow 17 October marches

How the unrest unfolded

More than half a million people marched in cities across France on 17 October 2026. Most early protests were peaceful and opposed cuts to public-sector spending and rising living costs, while backing students' demands for better learning conditions. Deutsche Welle reports that radical protesters and looters took advantage of the gatherings, setting buildings on fire, ransacking shops and throwing stones at police. El Periódico reports that more than 3,000 shops were looted and that town halls were attacked. The disorder followed a series of sit-ins by high-school pupils who blocked school buildings over a shortage of teachers and crumbling infrastructure. New protests are expected this coming weekend, and French authorities have said the army could be called in to keep order.

The government's response

On Thursday, 22 October, President Emmanuel Macron announced, after a meeting with intelligence officials and senior ministers, that demonstrations called by people or groups without legitimate authority will be banned. Union requests will be examined under the law, although organisers may be told to take alternative routes. Protests have already been prohibited in the city centres of Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulon. In Paris, a Saturday march leaving from Place de la Bastille was authorised, but organisers may not steer it toward the city centre, and a march planned by students and 'yellow vest' groups will not be permitted. La France insoumise lists curfews set at department or city level and encouragement for retailers to use private security among the measures taken.

The party's communiqué rejects the approach in strong terms:

“Civil liberties cannot serve as an adjustment variable for a government in trouble.”

Courts and police conduct

The Adelico association and the Union of Magistrates filed an urgent appeal with the Conseil d'État on Thursday evening, asking it to suspend the president's decision and any instructions implementing it, with the matter to be examined within 48 hours. Jean-Baptiste Soufron, a Paris bar lawyer and adviser to Adelico, calls the ban an abuse of power, arguing that the head of state is neither interior minister nor prefect. The Élysée rejects that accusation and insists that public order and calm must be restored. Deutsche Welle reports that videos of alleged police violence are spreading on French social media, although their authenticity has not been confirmed. One shows officers beating a man, knocking him to the ground and carrying him away after he lost consciousness, while another shows a young woman being led away with her arm twisted. Human rights groups have criticised police use of stun grenades and rubber bullets during the suppression of recent protests, and Deutsche Welle also reports that several teenagers were seriously hurt: one lost a hand in an explosion, another lost sight in one eye and a third had a broken jaw.

Markets and wider Europe

Bloomberg reports that Carrefour shares have fallen 17% over five days, erasing more than €2 billion in market value, after the supermarket operator warned that violent protests and looting will weigh on its full-year outlook. The stock is on course for its worst week since the global financial crisis. El Periódico argues that similar social discontent is building in several EU countries, driven by living costs, housing prices and weaker public services, and says the European Commission and most EU governments have lost touch with voters. A new nationwide day of protest is planned for Saturday, 24 October, and La France insoumise is calling on supporters to march peacefully alongside unions, students and high-school pupils.