French security forces had made 135 arrests by 1pm local time on Saturday in a new wave of protests that brought about 35,000 people onto the streets of the country's main cities, Interior Minister Laurent Núñez said. By noon, no serious incidents had occurred, Núñez said. Authorities recorded 136 actions in public spaces by early afternoon, compared with 264 registered at the same time the previous Saturday, and Núñez recalled that on October 17 about 60,000 people had gathered by noon on a day marked by violent episodes and looting.

Source: Demócrata (EFE/agency reporting), Oct 24, 2026

The BBC's live coverage and The Guardian's Europe live blog also reported 135 arrests as tens of thousands protested across the country. In Paris, police earlier seized weapons and gas masks in a crackdown, shopfronts were boarded up, some tourist spots were shut and the capital closed a number of metro stations, the BBC reported. Thousands marched in Paris, where one demonstrator, Jesse, 40, a charity worker from the north of Paris, told The Guardian: "I'm so angry. I'm here to support schoolchildren's demands for better conditions. I'm so proud of them and we have to stand together."

Source: The Guardian Europe live via World Right Now, Oct 24, 2026

135people arrested by 1pm local time — Interior Minister Laurent Núñez
About 35,000people on the streets by midday — interior ministry count via agency reporting
136 actionsrecorded in public spaces by early afternoon, vs 264 at the same time last Saturday
70,000police and security personnel deployed nationwide for Saturday

Núñez said a large part of the arrests was related to flow controls and the discovery of material intended to be used as a weapon. BFMTV, reported via Breaking The News, also carried the minister's figure of 135 arrests as of 1pm and the count of 136 demonstrations and actions. The protests are fuelled by anger over the rising cost of living and conditions in schools, and Saturday's marches took place under tight restrictions: demonstrations were banned in Lyon, Paris marches were limited to authorised routes, and only authorised union protests were allowed in several cities.

Source: BFMTV via Biztoc / Breaking The News, Oct 24, 2026

Saturday's mood in Paris was also heightened by Friday's shooting in Trappes and La Verrière, west of the capital, which the government has called a racist terrorist attack and in which a 26-year-old man was killed and five people were injured, The Guardian's live blog noted. Protests were also under way or expected in other European countries on Saturday, including Italy, Spain and Albania, according to The Guardian.

Source: The Guardian Europe live via World Right Now, Oct 24, 2026

The deployment and restrictions ahead of Saturday were reported here: France deploys 70,000 police nationwide ahead of fresh weekend protests

What is solid

  • 135 people had been arrested by 1pm local time on Saturday — Interior Minister Laurent Núñez, reported by agency reporting, BFMTV and the BBC/Guardian live coverage
  • Protests took place across France on Saturday under a deployment of about 70,000 police and security personnel, with boarded shopfronts and closed metro stations in Paris
  • By noon there had been no serious incidents, the interior minister said, and midday turnout of about 35,000 was below the 60,000 counted at noon on October 17

What is only claimed

  • Turnout and action counts are the interior ministry's midday figures and may be revised as the day continues; organisers' own turnout figures had not been reported in the sources reviewed
  • The minister's account that most arrests involved material intended as weapons is the authorities' characterisation; no independent breakdown of the arrests had been published in the sources reviewed