French authorities have deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes ahead of a third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over living costs and education, as youth-driven rallies extend across several European nations. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez alerted the public to a "very high risk" of unrest, noting heightened concerns for disorder after dark on Halloween.
To prevent destruction, Paris police prohibited union and yellow vest demonstrations from entering the city center on Friday. Officials instructed marchers to follow a designated perimeter along the capital's outer boulevards, stretching from Porte de Bagnolet to Porte de Charenton. Student organizations and trade unions have filed court challenges against the route limitations. The policy aligns with statements from President Emmanuel Macron, who declared on Monday that demonstrations must remain outside downtown areas to safeguard commercial businesses.
Nighttime access restrictions have also been enacted in Paris, barring entry to both Place de la Republique and Les Halles between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Both locations were scenes of rioting and widespread looting during an Oct. 17 mobilization. Additionally, an evening curfew starting at 9 p.m. was directed at unaccompanied minors around the Champs-Elysees, following a Wednesday Paris court decision that struck down a previous minor curfew, ruling it an illegal and severe violation of movement freedoms. The movement, which initially began with secondary school students protesting educational conditions, rapidly expanded into a broader campaign against rising living expenses. Official counts recorded roughly 550,000 participants during the Oct. 17 rallies—where rioters looted hundreds of shops—and 410,000 marchers the following Saturday. Though last weekend's events were mostly peaceful, law enforcement made more than 1,300 arrests.
The wave of youth unrest has increasingly resonated across Europe. In Germany, an initiative named "Gen Z regelt"—translated roughly as "Gen Z's got this"—called for demonstrations across approximately 30 cities to demand action on education, public health, climate protection, and affordable living standards, while opposing any potential reinstatement of military conscription. Organizers stated that over 140,000 individuals registered online, while Berlin law enforcement anticipates around 10,000 protesters gathering near the Brandenburg Gate. Although authorities noted no specific threats of violence, several businesses along the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard proactively boarded up their storefronts.
In Spain, Catalan police placed security forces on high alert in Barcelona following online calls for new assemblies from an anonymous TikTok network operating under the handle "Blocus." Violent disturbances in Barcelona last Saturday resulted in about 130 arrests, predominantly involving minors. Elsewhere in the region, Italian police raised alert levels after clashes erupted in Milan, Turin, and Bologna. Similar protest calls distributed via TikTok have also gained traction among youth in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Portugal.
