Yellow Vests Call for October 31 Protests Across France
France's Yellow Vests are urging a new nationwide mobilization on October 31, 2026, with rallies and sit-ins planned at the National Assembly in Paris and town halls around the country. The movement accuses the government of undermining public freedoms and disregarding public anger, according to Anadolu, citing French broadcaster BFMTV.
A call for a "third act"
Yellow Vests coordination spokespeople Benjamin Ball and Azelma Sigaux announced the protest plans on October 24 at a press conference outside a café at Place de la Bastille in Paris, according to Demócrata. They described the October 31 action as a "third act," following marches on October 17 and October 24.
The movement says the demonstrations will "defend public freedoms." Its statement accused the government of "contempt, refusal to listen, lies and repression," and warned of what it sees as an increasingly authoritarian executive branch.
Organizers also called for "convergence assemblies throughout France" to bring together high school and university students, workers, farmers, retirees and Yellow Vests participants.
The group has refused to accept police instructions moving a union-organized march to the outskirts of Paris, although the unions themselves agreed to the revised route.
Student grievances broaden into a wider movement
The mobilization follows student protests that began more than a month before October 24. According to France 24, the initial grievances included poor high school conditions, teacher shortages, the pace of the school day and disparities between public and private education. Yellow Vests participants, trade unions and civil society later joined the wider movement.
Thousands of demonstrators were expected in Paris and other major cities on October 24 to protest the rising cost of living and poor teaching conditions. The unrest comes amid dissatisfaction with economic pressures and public services.
The Yellow Vests had largely receded from public view after leading fuel-price protests between 2018 and 2020, DW reported. Their return coincides with the latest wave of demonstrations across France.
Reuters placed the unrest about six months before France's next presidential election, against a backdrop of economic weakness and surging debt.
Restrictions and the government's response
Violence and looting during the previous week's unrest prompted authorities to ban several rallies. The Interior Ministry said the October 17 nationwide protests resulted in about 2,400 arrests and injuries to nearly 1,000 officers. One protester died of cardiac arrest.
After that unrest, President Emmanuel Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's offer to resign, Reuters reported. Macron instead directed him to stop the barricades and looting and to be transparent about what the president called "intelligence and foresight failings."
Ahead of the October 24 marches, authorities prohibited all demonstrations in Marseille and Lyon for that Saturday. Curfews were also imposed in parts of Paris, Lille and Nice, among other measures.
About 70,000 officers were deployed for the October 24 marches. In an update that day, Nunez said police had arrested 135 people nationwide and that, so far, "there has been no major incident". He also reported seizures of metal balls, lead pellets, fireworks, slingshots, steel balls, improvised weapons, a katana and airsoft weapons, according to France 24.
Beyond the Yellow Vests' October 31 action, French unions have called for another round of strikes and rallies on November 5, 2026, according to Reuters.