French police clash with some protesters again as demonstrations continue in nation’s cities

October 31, 2026 / 12:57 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

French police fired tear gas and clashed with some protesters on Saturday as thousands marched across France again in largely peaceful demonstrations against soaring living costs and police violence.

Police said about 70,000 people demonstrated in Paris alone. France's interior ministry said about 320,000 people rallied nationwide.

Officers had made 27 arrests by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, compared with 217 arrests a week ago. In the southern port city of Marseille, demonstrators clashed with police. In Lyon, France's third-largest city, people threw projectiles at police, prompting officers to fire tear gas, according to a journalist at the scene.

In the southern city of Toulouse, police used water cannon against an unauthorized protest that drew several thousand people, mostly young demonstrators, some of them in costume.

In Paris, thousands of people, some wearing costumes ranging from Spider-Man to Frankenstein, walked through eastern Paris as a helicopter circled overhead. Placards read: "No need for tear gas to make our future look bleak" and "Dressed up as an angry citizen for Halloween." Hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has accused French President Emmanuel Macron's government of "taking an increasingly authoritarian turn," joined the march.

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/