The official count of the damage from the 17 October cost-of-living protests rose sharply on Sunday, 18 October 2026. The night before, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had reported about 1,200 arrests. By the evening of 18 October, the interior ministry's consolidated figure was 2,397 arrests. In total, 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously. In Paris alone, police arrested 855 people, a "record figure" according to the police prefecture.
A second day of clashes in Paris
A new gathering took place on Sunday, 18 October. In the afternoon, the Paris police prefecture said it was dealing with a new, undeclared mobilisation. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to break up the rally at Place de la République, and bicycles were set on fire.
The cost of the 17 October rioting is becoming clearer. According to Swiss broadcaster RTS, 1,500 shops suffered damage worth hundreds of millions of euros, and public buildings were vandalised or set on fire in several cities, including Limoges, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. In Limoges, the 143-year-old town hall was largely destroyed by fire. In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old had his hand torn off by a grenade. In Paris, one protester died after collapsing on 17 October; authorities say this was unrelated to the violence.
Government response
President Emmanuel Macron condemned "unbridled" violence, vowed an "uncompromising" response and said prefects and mayors would get powers to ban gatherings. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote that "Demonstrating is a fundamental right. Sowing disorder violently and in a coordinated way is not." He also predicted "further arrests" in the coming days, saying police had "a huge amount of video".
The government blames the far left. Nuñez and Lecornu said "radical far-left groups" were behind the violence, and that other masked groups later joined in to steal and add to the disorder. The opposition has turned on the minister: the National Rally said that "in a normal democracy, Laurent Nuñez would already have resigned". National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet is considering opening an inquiry into the 17 October protests.
Dates to watch
Monday, 19 October: Lecornu chairs an inter-ministerial meeting on what to do next. Nuñez travels to Marseille, one of the cities hit hardest by the riots.
Tuesday, 20 October: The National Assembly is due to hold a formal vote on the first part of the budget bill.
The budget vote is the main political test. Lecornu's minority government is seeking €54 billion ($61 billion) of savings in its 2027 budget to narrow the country's growing deficit. Those cuts are at the heart of protesters' anger over public services. Analysts quoted by Fortune warn that failure to pass the budget could send debt-servicing costs soaring and could even force France to seek IMF help.
The official count of the damage from the 17 October cost-of-living protests rose sharply on Sunday, 18 October 2026. The night before, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had reported about 1,200 arrests. By the evening of 18 October, the interior ministry's consolidated figure was 2,397 arrests. In total, 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured, seven of them seriously. In Paris alone, police arrested 855 people, a "record figure" according to the police prefecture.
A second day of clashes in Paris
A new gathering took place on Sunday, 18 October. In the afternoon, the Paris police prefecture said it was dealing with a new, undeclared mobilisation. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to break up the rally at Place de la République, and bicycles were set on fire.
The cost of the 17 October rioting is becoming clearer. According to Swiss broadcaster RTS, 1,500 shops suffered damage worth hundreds of millions of euros, and public buildings were vandalised or set on fire in several cities, including Limoges, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. In Limoges, the 143-year-old town hall was largely destroyed by fire. In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old had his hand torn off by a grenade. In Paris, one protester died after collapsing on 17 October; authorities say this was unrelated to the violence.
Government response
President Emmanuel Macron condemned "unbridled" violence, vowed an "uncompromising" response and said prefects and mayors would get powers to ban gatherings. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez wrote that "Demonstrating is a fundamental right. Sowing disorder violently and in a coordinated way is not." He also predicted "further arrests" in the coming days, saying police had "a huge amount of video".
The government blames the far left. Nuñez and Lecornu said "radical far-left groups" were behind the violence, and that other masked groups later joined in to steal and add to the disorder. The opposition has turned on the minister: the National Rally said that "in a normal democracy, Laurent Nuñez would already have resigned". National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet is considering opening an inquiry into the 17 October protests.
Dates to watch
The budget vote is the main political test. Lecornu's minority government is seeking €54 billion ($61 billion) of savings in its 2027 budget to narrow the country's growing deficit. Those cuts are at the heart of protesters' anger over public services. Analysts quoted by Fortune warn that failure to pass the budget could send debt-servicing costs soaring and could even force France to seek IMF help.
Sources