October 31: Clashes and several firebombs thrown at police in France

The third day of the convergence of anger brought some 320,000 protesters onto the streets of France according to the Interior Ministry, and ended with clashes in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Rennes and 296 arrests. Turnout was down compared with the previous two dates, while organizers keep up the pressure and have called a general strike for November 5.

The third round of the convergence of anger drew fewer people than the previous two and brought more tension at the end of the route. On **October 31, 2026**, the Interior Ministry counted some **320,000 protesters** across France; the youth inter-union spoke of nearly half a million. These figures are below the two previous days: the Interior Ministry had counted **550,000** on October 17 and **410,000** on October 24. The trend points to wear, although the movement is still able to bring tens of thousands of people out in several cities at once.

The origin of it all is a high school in **Créteil**, where the secondary education initiative was born in mid-September. It was joined by anger over the cost of living and the rapid rise in fuel prices, the classic battle horse of the Yellow Vests. That mix of students, unions and yellow vests is what gives the convergence its name.

## Paris: from Porte de Bagnolet to the standoff in Charenton

In the capital, **70,000** people marched according to the police prefecture, compared with **110,000** the previous Saturday. The inter-union procession set off around 3:00 pm from Porte de Bagnolet, accompanied by **Jean-Luc Mélenchon** and several deputies from La France Insoumise, and went ahead without incident until Porte de Charenton. The trouble came at the end: around 5:00 pm, a police cordon blocking the exits triggered a stampede, projectiles were thrown near the Charenton bridge and police charged with tear gas. An unauthorized gathering of **200** people on rue de la Roquette was also dispersed.

The CGT's route from Nation to Bastille had been authorized on Friday afternoon by the administrative court, but on Saturday, around 7 in the morning, the **Conseil d'État** (France's highest administrative court) banned it. The Yellow Vests' Concorde-Bastille route remained blocked by the prefecture. In other words: the route was decided in the courts hours before the march, and that uncertainty shaped the day.

## Marseille, Lyon and Rennes: projectiles, cocktails and trash bins

In Marseille, an undeclared procession of **10,000** people according to the prefecture broke away from the reformists. Around 4:00 pm projectiles were thrown along boulevard Chave, riot police charged and fired tear gas, and protesters then headed towards La Plaine. In Lyon nearly **20,000** people marched outside the city centre and tensions flared at the end of the day near Jean Macé and La Guillotière; a man carrying components to build an improvised explosive device was arrested.

In Rennes, the prefecture counted **13,500** protesters and organizers **25,000**. The clashes were concentrated on avenue Janvier, where trash bins were set on fire and **26** arrests were made. In Toulouse, protesters sitting on the road were dispersed with water cannons. There were also tensions in Tours. The overall toll of the day was **296** arrests.

## The government deploys 70,000 officers and the young keep up the pressure

Interior Minister **Laurent Núñez** deployed **70,000** police officers and gendarmes and promised a firm and republican response to the riots. He considers the risk of urban violence on Halloween night to be very high, which is why gatherings were banned from 8:00 pm. A curfew from **11:00 pm to 6:00 am** was imposed around Place de la République and Les Halles.

The youth organizations do not consider the standoff over. **Sabrina Kharbach**, of the Students' Union, called for the blocking of universities and high schools from Tuesday. **Manon Moret**, of the UNEF, argues that the government has still not responded concretely to young people's demands, despite the announcement of the end of Parcoursup (France's centralized university admissions platform) in 2028. In Lille, **Marine Tondelier**, national secretary of the Greens, described the day as the final warm-up before the general strike on **November 5**.

The Yellow Vests coordination is demanding the lifting of the curfews, amnesty for arrested protesters and an investigation into police violence. The calendar remains tight: on Tuesday **November 3** there is a high school and university day, on Thursday **November 5** an interprofessional strike called by the CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU, and on Saturday **November 7** an Act IV. Any reading of the turnout figures should be taken with caution: police and organizer sources differ systematically, and investigations into the incidents are ongoing.