{
  "id": 17610270,
  "title": "Ausland: 320.000 Menschen bei landesweiten Protesten in Frankreich: 779 Personen festgenommen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/ausland-320-000-menschen-bei-landesweiten-protesten-in-frankreich-779",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-01T13:37:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/ausland-320.000menschen-bei-protesten-in-frankreich-779-festgenommen/100266355.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "In France, at least 320,000 people protested against expensive living costs and shortcomings in public services, according to government figures. In Paris alone, 70,000 individuals took part in the demonstrations. A total of 779 people were arrested during the protest day and Halloween night. 116 security forces were injured during riots, the French Interior Ministry reported the following day. There were 515 fires extinguished and 36 shops damaged, as well as three robberies reported. Prefectures issued almost unanimous approvals of demonstration bans through administrative courts. This follows fewer demonstrators compared to the previous Saturday, with 410,000 participants, or even 550,000 on October 17th. The previous protests witnessed significant violence at times, with police forces again deployed in large numbers to prevent a recurrence of the severe riots two weeks prior. Demonstrations held on Halloween followed riots and looting on October 17th, leaving a trace of devastation in stores and public buildings across the country. Demonstrators hope for a response from the government. Students, unions, and a smaller group of \"Yellow vests,\" the protest movement from earlier years, participated in the demonstrations. A demonstration route between the Place Nation and Bastille in Paris was banned by a court, while a route along the eastern edge of the capital was approved instead. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a left-leaning politician, led the Paris march. While demonstrations were largely peaceful in the afternoon, police used tear gas in Lyon and Toulouse. Marseille also saw tensions. \"The French economy is in bad shape, regardless of what happens,\" said demonstrator Jerome Rodriguez in Paris. \"We are here to raise our demands louder and hopefully get a response from the government, even though it seems very unlikely.\" The wave of protests began with student mobilization in late September and expanded as the minority government led by President Emmanuel Macron started negotiations on the 2027 budget. Students complain about the deterioration of schools, overcrowded classrooms, and an unfair university admission system. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had announced that a repetition of the violence from October 17th would be prevented, mentioning that police could ban the wearing of masks if public order was threatened. This was a reference to the Halloween masks. Protests came at a sensitive time for the government. The ratings agency Fitch unexpectedly lowered the outlook for French creditworthiness to \"negative\" on Friday. With a national debt of nearly 120 percent of the economy and rising interest rates, the government is under pressure to cut spending, limiting its policy space. The French economy shrank in the third quarter. The trade chamber estimates losses for retailers due to the previous riots to exceed one billion euros. Politically, far-right politician Marine Le Pen and her Rassemblement National party seem to benefit from the unrest. In polls for the presidential election in April, Le Pen is leading. Meanwhile, the government is pushing an controversial law, which aims to make rioters liable for damages up to 10,000 euros caused by them or groups they belong to. Human rights organizations criticize the measure, fearing it could undermine the right to peaceful protest.",
  "summary": "Zunächst verläuft der Protesttag in Frankreich ruhig. Am späten Nachmittag gibt es erste chaotische Bilder. Die Polizei war erneut mit einem Großaufgebot im Einsatz.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}