Mobilisation du 31 octobre, USA News (France): For the third consecutive Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated across France on October 31. While turnout declined compared to the previous week, several incidents broke out on the margins of the processions. Hundreds of thousands of people marched through French streets to denounce high living costs and study conditions in high schools and universities. While 70,000 law enforcement officers were mobilized to secure the gatherings, tensions erupted in cities including Paris, Marseille, and Lyon.
Turnout and Attendance Figures
A total of 320,000 people demonstrated across France, including 70,000 in Paris, according to figures communicated by the Ministry of the Interior. This participation marked a decline compared to Saturday, October 24, when 410,000 demonstrators were recorded nationwide, including 110,000 in the capital. Meanwhile, the youth intersyndicale claimed nearly 500,000 participants, including 200,000 in Paris, also down from the previous week’s figures of 800,000 nationwide.
Despite the decline, student and high school organizations intend to continue their mobilization. The Union syndicale lycéenne, Union étudiante, and Unef called for blockades at high schools and universities on Tuesday, November 3, and Thursday, November 5. Additionally, an intersyndicale uniting the CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa, and FSU called on private and public sector employees, retirees, and youth to participate in a new day of strikes and demonstrations on Thursday, November 5.
Clashes and More Than 500 Arrests
While the demonstrations largely took place peacefully, clashes occurred on the sidelines of several processions. In Paris, where demonstrators marched between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton, projectiles were thrown at security forces at the end of the route. Police replied with tear gas, and the police prefecture reported several hundred violent individuals facing them at Porte de Charenton, where a Molotov cocktail was reportedly thrown.
In Lyon, where authorities counted 19,000 demonstrators, clashes also broke out at the end of the march as an undeclared procession formed and police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. In Marseille, nearly 10,000 people marched without prior declaration, remaining peaceful for two hours before tensions emerged at 4:00 PM. In Rennes, police were also targeted by several hundreds of individuals during the dispersal.
According to a provisional toll established at 9:00 PM, 565 people were arrested throughout France, compared to 1,435 during the previous mobilization on October 24. A total of 40,000 checks were carried out across France, including 15,000 in Île-de-France, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who warned that the day was not yet over.
