Photos: Clashes erupt in France during protests over rising living costs

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP, AP and Reuters. Published On 25 Oct 202625 Oct 2026.

Key points

• Interior Minister Laurent Nunez remarked police arrested almost 1, 000 individuals nationwide on Saturday and faced "an extremely elevated level of violence" from black-clad "ultra-left" demonstrators.
• Nunez remarked Saturday's outcome was more "positive", citing faster police interventions, more pre-demonstration checks and stronger protection for commercial areas.
• At least two individuals were seriously injured, including a man in Toulouse who reportedly had fingers blown off and another person in Clermont-Ferrand, Nunez stated, without giving details.

Clashes have erupted throughout France as hundreds of thousands of residents marched against rising living costs, a week after protests descended into rioting and prompted a tough security response from President Emmanuel Macron's administration.

Riot police fired tear gas in Paris and other major cities, including Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes as officers moved to disperse crowds and protect shops and public buildings.

Authorities deployed regarding 70, 000 security personnel nationwide for the latest demonstrations in a bid to prevent a repeat of the unrest from a week earlier when public buildings were vandalised, hundreds of businesses were looted and 2, 700 residents were arrested.

Despite the government's claims of an improvement, rights advocates and protesters voiced anger over what they saw as an assault on freedoms and the right to demonstrate, six months before the election to choose Macron's successor.

For now, photos: Clashes erupt in France during protests over rising living costs remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.