Paris Youth Protests Continue on Oct 31

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a high risk of disorder as hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Saturday. The demonstrations marked the third consecutive weekend of unrest over living costs and education. Police deployed 70,000 officers and gendarmes across the country to manage the crowds. The government estimated that 320,000 people participated nationwide, a number lower than previous weekends but still large by local standards.

The movement began in late October with high school students complaining about neglected buildings and teacher shortages. By Oct. 17, the protests drew more than 500,000 people and turned into some of France's worst rioting in years. On Oct. 24, roughly 410,000 demonstrators took to the streets. By Oct. 31, authorities reported about 300 arrests, down from 800 at the same point the previous week. Nuñez specifically cited the hours around Halloween as a period of elevated tension.

In Paris, police moved the main march to the city's edge to protect government buildings and tourist sites. This decision followed a last-minute court battle. Around 70,000 people joined the Paris procession, which traveled along the Boulevards des Maréchaux. The atmosphere was largely festive for several hours, with techno music playing and marchers carrying banners for climate and housing groups. At Porte de Bagnolet, students led a line of marchers while CGT union security agents watched from the front.

Tensions rose as the march concluded near Porte de Charenton. Protesters threw glass bottles and fireworks at police lines. Officers responded with stun grenades and tear gas. Smoke filled the streets as the sun set, causing many peaceful marchers to retreat. Some demonstrators scattered into the nearby Bois de Vincennes to escape the gas. A police helicopter hovered overhead during the clashes.

Similar youth-led demonstrations occurred in Germany and Italy. In Germany, the initiative Gen Z regelt rallied in more than 30 cities. In Berlin, high school student Lara Breitenbach demanded more investment in social services and education. She stated that her generation would live with the consequences of policy decisions for the longest time. In Cologne, police ended a march early after protesters used pyrotechnics and threw stones. In Hamburg, police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds that burned barricades.

Portugal and the Netherlands also saw related activity. In Lisbon, thousands protested the housing crisis, holding placards with messages about the cost of living. In The Hague, police maintained a strong presence in the shopping district. They checked the identities of groups of young people and frisked some participants. Many local stores had boarded up their windows as a precaution against potential looting.

French authorities imposed specific restrictions in Paris for the weekend. Police barred entry to Place de la Republique and Les Halles from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Unaccompanied minors faced a curfew around the Champs-Elysees starting at 9 p.m. A Paris court had suspended an earlier curfew on minors, ruling it an illegal infringement of freedom of movement. The new measures aimed to limit the movement of young protesters during the evening hours.