World News by Wild Rose

Shopkeepers - including those from immigrant backgrounds - count losses from violence last weekend.

After implementing curfews in cities across France to prevent a continuation of the weekend's violence and looting, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu prepared to meet with trade union organisations on Wednesday to discuss protest security and responses to the high school students who began the now nationwide protests. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Tuesday vowed a "massive" police presence at fresh protests called for the coming weekend, as he faced criticism over the handling of recent street violence. The eurozone's second-largest economy was rocked on Saturday by some of its worst rioting in recent years, just six months before voters head to the polls to elect a successor to President Emmanuel Macron. FRANCE 24's Ellen Gainsford reports.

France will reinforce police with troops and mount a huge security operation for more protests planned on Saturday, the government said on Tuesday, acknowledging failures in its response to last weekend’s violence. “The deployment next Saturday will be massive,” Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, adding that the immediate priority was to restore order after rioting and looting swept Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities on October 17. In a sometimes rowdy debate, Interior Minister Laurent...

French cities that imposed a curfew Monday saw a generally calm night, after October 17 protests devolved into violent riots this past weekend. Despite criticism from citizens, France's government said it is maintaining the measure where necessary on Tuesday night.

Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Damien Lecomte, Political Scientist and Researcher at Paris Panthéon Sorbonne University. France’s escalating unrest has exposed a profound contradiction in the state’s response: disproportionate force against peaceful demonstrators and an inability to contain widespread violence. As competing narratives threaten to overshadow legitimate grievances over education, public services and the cost of living, he warns that the "repressive response won't make the social crisis disappear.” With presidential elections approaching, the struggle to restore order is becoming inseparable from a deeper contest over political legitimacy, public liberties and the future direction of French society.

France's second city saw some of the worst violence as chaos gripped the country on Saturday.

France’s first night under curfew passed without incident, as authorities sought to restore order following a weekend of demonstrations that escalated into riots. The government will impose further curfews where necessary on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said. FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Philip Turle tells us more.

Following weekend protests and riots across the country, curfews have been imposed by the government in some parts of Paris and several cities in France. In Paris, the night passed without any disturbance as FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that local authorities can decide to extend curfews if necessary.

Dozens of students gathered outside the Louvre Museum on Monday in an attempt to block access to the iconic landmark. The movement puts pressure on the government as the Yellow Vest movement also grows. Following Saturday’s demonstrations, calls on social media for further protests on October 24 and 31 are multiplying.

A measure of French bond risk breached a key level on Tuesday, underscoring the challenges facing the government as it struggles to tame the budget deficit and defuse cost-of-living protests.

The protests have further polarised the French and turned the youth into a key, angry, voting bloc.

French student union spokesperson Alice Cohen-Morzadec says the protests reflect growing anger over Macron's policies.

Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis have created perfectly stormy weather for an autumn of protests in Europe. Crowds have taken to the streets for weeks in major cities, resulting in arrests, looting, injuries, and violence across France, Italy and Albania. In Spain and Portugal, tent camps have sprung up in protests against unattainable rents and housing costs. Young Europeans are experiencing “a strong sense of uncertainty...

Curfews came into effect in cities across France, including Paris, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon, as French police attempted to crack down on looting during protests. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has said that implementing a state of emergency is not out of the question. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

French officials have rolled out tougher security measures and pledged aid for businesses after cost-of-living protests degenerated into violence, vandalism and looting. Bloomberg's Rosalind Mathieson has the latest. (Source: Bloomberg)

France reeled Monday after a weekend of nationwide unrest sparked by mass protests against the rising cost of living and in support of high school students’ demands over education funding. In the violent clashes that erupted, law enforcement officers and protesters were wounded, public buildings were set ablaze and businesses were looted, raising significant questions about the French police's approach to public order. 

In the wake of the weekend's violence, the political camps have been trading blame for the “chaos”. The riots have played into the hands of the far-right National Rally - which has been quick to capitalise on the anger and fears over law and order. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell takes a look.

France's central government asked some local authorities to impose curfews and faced pressure over security failings on Monday after a weekend of riots and looting borne out of nationwide anti-government protests. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu did not rule out declaring state of emergency but said it was more appropriate for now to apply partial and localised curfews, without providing details of which cities would be affected.

At least 2,400 people were arrested in France during protests over the weekend, some simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, others on suspicion of theft and looting. In an official address, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that “those who looted will have to pay for the damage”. But who exactly are these rioters?

France is used to protests but the violence and damage seen across the country is shocking many people.

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Andrew Smith, Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary University of London. France's escalating social unrest has exposed a troubling disconnect between legitimate popular grievances and the government's increasingly security-focused response. Smith argues that the violence accompanying otherwise largely peaceful demonstrations reveals serious failures of policing, while President Emmanuel Macron's response offers "very little of substance." Drawing parallels with France's historic protest movements, Smith identifies a "convergence of causes" rooted in economic insecurity, educational inequalities and political paralysis. He warns that a repressive response risks deepening the crisis, calling instead for a renewed commitment to "participatory social democracy."

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Monday accused the "ultra-left movement" of seeking to "orchestrate deep unrest across the country" in the runup to next year's presidential election. FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Angela Diffley looks back at Lecornu's remarks in the wake of the violent protests that shook the country over the weekend.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday blamed immigration for unrest during protests in France and urged the country to tighten its migration rules. Trump's post comes after similar comments made by Vice President JD Vance on Saturday. Vance, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in the 2028 election, also drew a connection to upcoming midterm races for congressional seats on November 3, where Republicans are not expected to perform well. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from the United States.

Barcelona travel to Paris for the Champions League match at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT.

Le Pen is positioning her party as more capable than centrist or left-wing forces before the 2027 presidential election.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest higher living costs and the poor conditions in schools and other public services in France over the weekend. Police arrested nearly 2,400 people after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops.The widespread unrest deepens political uncertainty in France as it prepares for elections in six months.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has warned that a state of emergency could be imposed "if needed" as authorities struggle to contain violent protests, which have affected thousands of businesses, sweeping parts of the country. The violence comes months before France’s presidential election, raising concerns over public security and political stability.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held an emergency Cabinet meeting on Monday to assess a weekend of violence and looting during protests against the rising cost of living.

France’s escalating protest movement is exposing a widening disconnect between political leadership and public frustration, while raising questions about the country’s long tradition of social unrest. Chris Reynolds, Professor of French and European Studies at Nottingham Trent University, argues that President Emmanuel Macron’s latest address was characterised by a troubling “sense of detachment,” offering little to resolve the structural grievances driving the demonstrations. Drawing parallels with May 1968 and the Yellow Vest movement, Reynolds warns that violent unrest risks eclipsing the legitimate concerns of largely peaceful protesters, undermining public sympathy and reshaping political debate ahead of the presidential election.