Authorities said 320,000 people marched nationwide as unrest in Paris injured officers and led to hundreds of arrests.
PARIS, FRANCE — French prosecutors opened an attempted-murder investigation Sunday after Molotov cocktails were thrown at security forces during mass demonstrations in Paris, part of a third weekend of nationwide protests over living costs, education and public services. Authorities said about 320,000 people took part across France on Saturday, including 70,000 in the capital.
The demonstrations were largely peaceful, according to officials and journalists covering marches in several cities, but clashes erupted around the end of some gatherings. In Paris, police said several hundred rioters attacked officers with projectiles on the eastern edge of the city. Molotov cocktails struck members of the security forces, leaving officers injured and prompting prosecutors to investigate the attack as attempted murder of people carrying out public duties.
French authorities deployed about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide for Saturday’s demonstrations after serious unrest during earlier protests in October. That security figure was separate from the estimated 70,000 demonstrators counted by authorities in Paris. The Interior Ministry estimated overall turnout at 320,000 nationwide, while organizers put the figure closer to 500,000 and said about 200,000 people marched in Paris.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the organized marches had generally taken place without major trouble but condemned attacks by groups involved in violence after or around the demonstrations. The Paris Police Prefecture said four police officers and one gendarme were injured in the capital. Three members of the security forces suffered burns in incidents involving Molotov cocktails, according to official figures reported Saturday night.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said Sunday that explosive or incendiary devices had been thrown toward a group of gendarmes and police officers. Prosecutors opened an investigation into attempted murder following one of the attacks. Authorities were working to identify those responsible. Officials had not announced the arrest of a suspect directly tied to that specific attack as of Sunday.
Police made hundreds of arrests during the demonstrations and related unrest. The Interior Ministry reported 565 arrests nationwide by late Saturday evening, while later figures cited by The Associated Press put the number at 779 by the end of the night. In Paris, prosecutors said Sunday that 105 people had been arrested in connection with Saturday’s events in the capital and Halloween-related incidents, with dozens remaining in police custody.
Violence also broke out in other French cities. In Lyon, projectiles were thrown toward police and officers used tear gas as tensions rose following a march that drew about 19,000 people, according to authorities. In Grenoble, clashes were reported near the end of a demonstration. Police used water cannon during an unauthorized gathering in Toulouse, while disturbances in Marseille followed a march that had earlier proceeded largely without violence.
The protests have grown from anger among young people over school conditions into a broader movement focused on the cost of living, wages and public services. High school students, university groups, trade unions and members of the Yellow Vest movement have participated in demonstrations. Saturday’s turnout remained substantial despite an extensive security operation that included searches, checkpoints and restrictions in several cities.
Saturday’s disorder was less extensive than the violence reported during earlier October protests. Authorities had prepared for renewed looting, arson and attacks after previous demonstrations produced widespread property damage and thousands of arrests. Major cultural sites in Paris, including the Louvre and other museums, closed as a precaution ahead of Saturday’s protests.
More demonstrations are expected in the coming days. Student organizations have called for blockades and additional protests as schools reopen after the autumn break, while unions are planning another nationwide day of action Thursday. French police said they are preparing for the possibility of renewed confrontations as the protest movement continues.
Author note: Last updated November 1, 2026.