Overview
- A broad wave of protests by gilets jaunes, unions, lycée and university students took place on Saturday, October 24, across dozens of cities as organisers planned hundreds of actions over cost of living and public services.
- The government mobilised an unprecedented security force of about 70,000 police and gendarmes, supported by specialized units, armoured vehicles, helicopters and soldiers to guard protests and the Rassemblement National congress in Orléans.
- Paris became a flashpoint after the Préfecture de police imposed a late route change for the main union march and the administrative court rejected organisers’ appeal to restore the originally negotiated Bastille–Nation route.
- Local authorities issued bans and curfews in several cities but administrative courts partly suspended some prohibitions, for example in Limoges and parts of Bouches‑du‑Rhône, triggering urgent legal fights over protest limits.
- Authorities warned of violence after widespread damage on October 17, businesses and major museums closed preemptively, and rights groups criticised a security‑first response as a risk to civil liberties and democratic space.