France Halloween Protests: 70,000 Police on Duty
France braced for the France Halloween protests on Saturday, October 31, 2026, a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations coinciding with Halloween, as shops in Paris and other cities boarded up their windows. Around 70,000 security personnel were deployed, matching last week’s force.
The France Halloween protests follow two weekends of unrest that have put the government under pressure six months before a presidential election. President Emmanuel Macron said this week it was “not normal” for France to be in such a state of “turmoil” so close to a vote, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen leading opinion polls.
Dawn reported that more than 40 Paris metro stations would close on Saturday and tram services would also be disrupted. Authorities said face-covering masks would not be allowed at the demonstrations.
Why the France Halloween protests worry the authorities
An aide to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said street violence on a scale “comparable” to the unrest of October 17 was expected, when thousands of businesses were damaged or looted and images of clashes and public buildings set ablaze were broadcast around the world. A police source pointed to “considerable nervousness” among the authorities. “There is no reason to think this will go smoothly,” the source said.
Nunez warned on October 29 of a “very high risk of public disorder”. He said demonstrations would be allowed, but not in city centres. The Paris police prefecture tried to prevent demonstrators from marching between Bastille and Nation in eastern Paris, but a court overturned the ban.
Authorities have acknowledged security and intelligence failures that helped pave the way for the clashes, widespread looting and vandalism on October 17, and have since moved to reassert control by restricting demonstrations and imposing curfews in several cities.
Curfew, clean-up teams and boarded-up shops
A night-time curfew will be in force in Paris’s Republique and Chatelet-Les Halles neighbourhoods from 11 pm to 6 am on Saturday and Sunday. More than 1,000 municipal workers will be mobilised in Paris over the weekend to clean up public spaces, the mayor’s office said.
Alain Di Crescenzo, president of France’s chamber of commerce, said business owners were worried. “Shopkeepers can’t wait for Saturday to be over,” he told broadcaster France Inter.
Nunez said authorities had detected social media calls for Halloween gatherings on Saturday evening urging protesters to spark a “revolution”. Some posts called on people to dress up and gather for a “night of darkness”. A Paris costume shop manager, Didier Jarsale, said it was not his job to ask every customer what they intended to do with what they bought. “We’re not here to act as police officers,” he said.
What the protesters are demanding
The protest movement brings together Yellow Vest activists, trade unions, and high school and university students. It initially focused on the rising cost of living, inequality and deteriorating learning conditions, then broadened after a security clampdown and serious injuries to some protesters to include greater protection of civil liberties and the right to protest.
The unrest followed weeks of demonstrations by high school students campaigning for better learning conditions.
A Europe-wide weekend of protest
France is not alone in facing street protests this weekend. Germany is expecting youth-led rallies in 34 cities on Saturday, organised by Gen Z regelt, while students and workers took to the streets across Italy on Friday over school funding and the cost of living.
Frequently asked questions
Why are 70,000 security personnel deployed in France?
The deployment matches the force mobilised a week earlier and is meant to prevent a repeat of the October 17 unrest.
Which parts of Paris face a night curfew?
The Republique and Chatelet-Les Halles neighbourhoods face a curfew from 11 pm to 6 am on Saturday and Sunday.
Why are face-covering masks banned at the protests?
The protests coincide with Halloween, when many people wear masks, and officials fear masks could hide the identity of people involved in violence or looting.
What started the French protests?
The movement began with high school students campaigning for better learning conditions and grew into wider protests over the cost of living, inequality and, after a security clampdown, civil liberties and the right to protest.
