France braces for ‘very high risk’ of disorder at Halloween protests

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA group of protesters shield themselves from a water cannon during a protest in Paris on October 24, 2026 [Manu Brabo/Getty Images]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and DPAPublished On 29 Oct 202629 Oct 2026France’s interior minister has announced the deployment of 70,000 police officers across the country in preparation for planned protests on Saturday, coinciding with Halloween.Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Thursday that security measures, including the use of armoured vehicles and water cannon introduced last week, will be strengthened.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘I am still traumatised’: French police accused of brutalising minorslist 2 of 4As Macron visits Gulf, can France forge its own energy-for-security future?list 3 of 4France PM promises more curfews as authorities seek to regain controllist 4 of 4France’s growing debt woes: How bond markets set countries’ borrowing costsend of listNationwide protests over the rising cost of living have rocked France, with some degenerating into large-scale looting and riots.“The day of October 31 presents a very high risk of public disorder,” Nunez said at a news conference.About 70,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilised, matching the number deployed at last week’s protests, he said, calling the move an “exceptional measure”.Demonstrations last Saturday drew about 410,000 protesters nationwide, according to the interior ministry, though unions put the figure at roughly double that. The ministry said more than 2,700 people were arrested a week earlier.A protester taking cover behind a sheet of particleboard throws a rock at riot police during a protest in Paris on October 24, 2026 [Manu Brabo/Getty Images]Warning on Halloween maskingThe “yellow vest” movement and student unions have called for a new day of protests on Saturday.Nunez warned demonstrators against using Halloween as “a legitimate reason to hide one’s face” to cause disturbances in public areas.He told reporters demonstrations would be allowed, but “not in city centres, where there is a risk of public disorder”.The interior minister issued a warning to far-right groups that clashed with left-wing protesters at rallies in about 15 French cities.“We will tolerate no excesses,” he said, and pledged an “extremely firm” response.Nunez accused the “ultra-left” movement and some yellow vest activists of circulating messages on social media promoting demonstrations on Halloween evening that called for a “revolution”.“These gatherings will be banned,” he said.The yellow vest movement has already announced a “third act” of its protests on Halloween and called for demonstrations outside the National Assembly and all town halls in the country.