France counts cost of violent protests, 1,800 arrested

PARIS

A protester kicks a projectile as he stands among tear gas in front of Lyon's tourism office during a demonstration to protest against the "high cost of living", in Lyon, southeastern France, on October 17, 2026 as part of a nationwide call for mobilisation bringing together various groups expressing their anger: former "Yellow Vests", secondary school and university students, climate activists and even farmers. (AFP Photo)

France was reeling on Oct. 18 from widespread damage caused in violent protests the day before that saw 1,800 people arrested, a historic town hall torched and widespread looting.

The convulsion, which officials described as of extraordinary intensity, raised the stakes for President Emmanuel Macron, who is in his final months in power before elections to replace him in six months’ time. It followed weeks of student protests that had also turned violent at times.

Around “1,800 people have been arrested and now investigations are under way to identify the perpetrators of these acts so they can be brought to justice,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on X on Oct. 18.

In Paris, where police said a “record” 855 people had been arrested, streets were littered with the burnt-out remains of barricades built by protesters using bikes and bins and other materials. Several streets had smashed shop windows and the remains of torched cars.

The capital experienced “a level of violence that we have never, I believe, seen before,” said Paris Deputy Mayor Lamia El Aaraje.

Paris and many other cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, had scores of shops pillaged by masked youths during the protests, which had been called against high inflation and the cost of living.

The city of Limoges lost its 19th-century town hall to a fire the local prefect, Maurice Barate, told LCI television had been deliberately set by “a wild horde.” The fire was only brought under control early on Oct. 18.

Political recriminations flew over the scenes of destruction.

Macron’s centrist government and far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen both blamed “ultra-left” groups for the violence.

Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who had prominently backed the demonstrations, late Oct. 17 urged demonstrators to stay away from any looting, describing it as “contrary to our methods.”

Paris’s Socialist deputy mayor, Lamia El Aaraje, accused Le Pen’s party of fueling tensions around the protests to further her ambition of becoming president next year.

The far-right National Rally party was “acting like a pyromaniac firefighter,” El Aaraje said.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance also waded in, implying that the unrest stemmed from immigration.

“Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility,” Vance said on X.

In Paris, where startled tourists had been seen Oct. 17 running with suitcases along streets filled with tear gas and protesters, the prosecutor’s office said more than 500 people were in custody.

It said arrests had been carried out through the night until early Oct. 18, with most taken into custody on suspicion of receiving stolen goods, association with intent to commit violence and vandalism.

Around 500 police, firemen and paramedics were hurt in the protests, Interior Minister Nunez said, adding that the figure was provisional.