France sees third weekend of youth-led protests as Halloween marches end in clashes and hundreds of arrests

France went through a third straight weekend of youth-led street protests on Saturday, 31 October. Large marches over education, living costs and public services passed off largely peacefully, but clashes with police broke out in Paris and other cities after nightfall on Halloween.

The Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at about 320,000, including roughly 70,000 in Paris. That was below its estimates of more than 500,000 on 17 October and 410,000 on 24 October. Organisers, a coalition of school and university student groups and trade unions, said close to half a million people took part.

How the day unfolded

Authorities moved the main Paris march to the eastern edge of the city after a last-minute legal fight. Trouble began near Porte de Charenton after the march ended. Protesters threw bottles, fireworks and paving stones, and police answered with tear gas and stun grenades. Police also fired tear gas in Lyon, according to Al Jazeera.

Arrests climbed through the evening. Early counts were close to 300. Later Interior Ministry figures, reported by French and British media, went above 500. A gendarme was hit by a Molotov cocktail in Paris, and other officers were hurt in the clashes. No full injury count has been released.

Government response

About 70,000 police and gendarmes were on duty across the country. Before the marches, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned of a "very high risk" of disorder after dark. Paris police shut Place de la Republique and Les Halles to the public overnight on Saturday and Sunday. A 9 pm curfew was imposed on unaccompanied minors around the Champs-Elysees, even though a Paris court had suspended an earlier curfew on minors as an illegal limit on freedom of movement.

Nunez said the marches "went well", but he condemned what he called very serious violence against officers. He also said the security operation would continue for as long as needed. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu met student unions several times during the week and is reported to be weighing cost-of-living measures. No specific concessions have been announced.

Roots of the movement and what comes next

The protests started in September among high school students angry about run-down school buildings, teacher shortages and a university admissions system they see as unfair to poorer students. Labour unions later joined, adding complaints about prices and fuel costs. Many protesters blame President Emmanuel Macron's government for not listening. One 21-year-old student told the Associated Press that his state-run residence had damp stains along its walls.

The unrest has spread to other countries. Youth groups rallied in more than 30 German cities on Saturday, and police used water cannon in Cologne and Hamburg. Smaller protests took place in Lisbon, Italy and Spain. In France, student unions have called for blockades of schools and universities on Tuesday and joint action with striking workers on Thursday.

For India, the scenes are a reminder of how quickly worries about education and jobs can drive young people into the streets. France is one of India's closest strategic partners in Europe and a popular destination for Indian students, who may want to watch local advisories in the coming days.