Overview
- On Saturday, October 31, nationwide protests continued while the government deployed about 70,000 police and gendarmes and clashes in Paris late in the day saw protesters remove paving stones, throw projectiles and prompt police to use tear gas.
- The Council of State upheld police limits on central Paris routes and authorities enforced curfews, closed around 40 metro stations, restricted minors from roaming after 21:00 in some neighborhoods and monitored online calls for unrest.
- Official and organizer turnout figures differ sharply, with the Interior Ministry reporting roughly 320,000 participants nationwide and unions and student groups claiming about 410,000.
- Student unions said they will regroup after the school break and focus on a November 5 general strike, and police told reporters they expected 400–800 far-left activists to travel to Paris for confrontational actions.
- Shops have boarded windows and transport has been disrupted, deepening economic pain for local businesses and raising political tensions ahead of the 2027 presidential campaign with the prospect of more unrest if negotiations do not follow.