A protester lights smoke flares next to a fire during a demonstration to protest against the "high cost of living", Place de la Victoire in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on October 17, 2026.Christophe Aarchambault/ AFP via Getty Images

Police, demonstrators clash on sidelines of mass French protests – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

PARIS — A wave of mass protests swept across France Saturday, with dozens of peaceful marches taking place alongside scenes of violent clashes between demonstrators and police forces.

The demonstrations were also a battleground for candidates ahead of next year’s high-stakes presidential election: The far-right’s Marine Le Pen sided with law enforcement while the far-left’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon backed protesters. 

Throughout the day, media reported incidents in the country’s largest cities including Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Paris. Dozens of rioters clashed with law enforcement on the capital’s Place de la République, next to a much larger number of demonstrators gathered for an authorized march that started from Paris’s central square.