France in Turmoil · Breaking
Published Saturday, 24 October, 11:50 a.m. ET (5:50 p.m. Paris) · Source: Préfecture de police de Paris, France 3, DNA, L’Indépendant
Paris police counted 110,000 marchers on Saturday, 24 October 2026, level with the figure for 17 October, as the France protests entered a second weekend under heavy security. Police used tear gas in Strasbourg at 4:40 p.m. Paris time (10:40 a.m. ET), and clashes were reported in Nantes, Rennes and Marseille.
About 70,000 police and gendarmes were on duty nationwide, and authorities sought to allow only union-organised marches. The wave began with high-school students and now includes unions, Yellow Vests (a grassroots movement) and left-wing parties.
Key Facts
- What happened: 110,000 marched in Paris; tear gas fell in Strasbourg, Nantes and Marseille.
- Who counted: Paris police prefecture, the city’s police authority.
- The numbers: 17,000 in Marseille (prefecture) and 10,000 in Grenoble; 65 arrests in Paris.
- What happens next: Yellow Vests call another day of action for 31 October.
- Prediction markets: Polymarket gives a French state of emergency by 31 October 7.5% (11:41 a.m. ET, 24 October).
This story is part of our coverage of the why France is in crisis. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
In plain English
For two Saturdays running, France has seen mass marches over living costs, public services and schools, with looting and fires on 17 October. The government now allows only union marches and has put tens of thousands of police on the streets.
Paris Marches on a Police Route
The Paris march left Porte d’Italie at 2:00 p.m. (8:00 a.m. ET) and reached Porte de Vincennes at 5:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. ET). The prefecture’s 110,000 count, announced at 5:24 p.m. (11:24 a.m. ET), matches last Saturday’s figure.
Police changed the route on Friday from the planned Bastille to Nation line, and the administrative court rejected the appeal, as we reported in Paris Unions Accept Police March Route. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the hard-left party France Unbowed, marched at Porte d’Italie.
By late afternoon the prefecture reported more than 3,000 police checks and 65 arrests in Paris. Earlier, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had counted 135 arrests nationwide by 1:00 p.m. (7:00 a.m. ET), as covered in French Protests Shrink as 135 Are Arrested.
Tear Gas in Strasbourg, Grenoble and Marseille
In Strasbourg, a declared union march ended at Place de la République. At 4:40 p.m. Paris time (10:40 a.m. ET), police fired tear gas at demonstrators trying to reach the city centre.
In Marseille, the prefecture counted 17,000 marchers and the CGT union counted 50,000. A union march was finally authorised there, while gatherings were banned in Lyon.
In Grenoble, the Isère prefecture said 10,000 people gathered and that unauthorised marches then moved erratically. In Nantes, demonstrators reached the city centre inside a banned perimeter and clashed with police.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market, traders put a French state of emergency at 7.5% by 31 October and 14.5% by 31 December (US$706,786 traded, 11:41 a.m. ET on 24 October). A state of siege, or martial law, is at 1.2% by 31 October. On Kalshi, an exchange regulated in the US by the CFTC, a state of emergency before 1 November is priced at 12%, and before 1 January 2027 at 20% (60,034 contracts traded).
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for US Readers
Tourists in Paris should expect closed streets, transport checks and curfews in some cities through the weekend; see our guide on whether it is safe to travel to France. For US investors, repeated unrest adds political risk to the government ahead of the France 2027 election.
What Is Not Known
No national turnout total or full arrest count for the day has been published. Marseille’s two counts differ by 33,000, and the number of people hurt in Strasbourg, Nantes and Grenoble is not yet known.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people marched in Paris on 24 October?
Paris police counted 110,000 marchers, according to the city’s police prefecture. That is level with the 110,000 the Interior Ministry counted in Paris on 17 October.
Where did clashes happen?
Police used tear gas in Strasbourg at 4:40 p.m. Paris time (10:40 a.m. ET). Clashes were also reported in Nantes, Rennes and Marseille, and in Grenoble marches moved erratically.
Why did the Paris route change?
The police prefecture replaced the agreed Bastille to Nation route on Friday with Porte d’Italie to Porte de Vincennes. The Paris administrative court rejected the organisers’ appeal on Friday evening.
What happens next?
The Yellow Vests, a grassroots movement that began in 2018, call a new day of action for 31 October. Prediction markets give a French state of emergency by that date 7.5%.
Sources: France 3 Régions live report, 24 October 2026; Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace live report; Le Monde live report; Polymarket; Préfecture de police de Paris.
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