Batman and Chucky...the spirit of Generation Z, comic symbols and other symbols from popular culture and the Internet are leading the protests in France

Today, Saturday (October 17, 2026), Paris and many French cities witnessed demonstrations organized to protest the “high cost of living,” six months before the presidential elections.

Protesters from the "yellow vest" movement, high school and university students, in addition to activists in the field of climate and other sectors, are participating in the demonstration.

But what is noteworthy is that the demonstrations witnessed among the protesting students and citizens famous figures known to many, not only in the second largest economy in the Eurozone, but in the entire world.

In previous student protests in Paris this week, characters from popular culture and the Internet such as Batman, Gremlin and the killer doll Chucky emerged, joining high school and university students to participate in the demonstration.

The French newspaper "Le Monde" quoted one of the students, wearing a mask, as saying, "We have real demands and we are determined to deliver our message, but there is no point in getting angry, so it is better to do it with a smile."

Historian Veronique Cerva said: Symbols of popular culture have become more present in the political movement and protest activity.

Serva believes that humor is not neutral, but rather places the protest in its historical and political context, and these shared symbols help bring together young men and women from different backgrounds who do not agree on a specific issue.

The General Union of Labor said that "more than 500,000" people participated in the movements and marches organized today, Saturday, in France, to protest "the high cost of living." The Union called on the government to "stop repression," after clashes between demonstrators and security forces, praising "a major day of mobilization, the largest since the beginning of the school year."

"Darth Vader's soldiers"

The protests erupted last month from high schools in the poor northern suburbs of Paris, where anger over the shortage of teachers and poor facilities quickly turned into a broader protest movement focused on inequality, public spending and declining living standards.

France's efforts to reduce its growing public debt did not succeed in reassuring investors, pushing the government's borrowing costs to their highest levels in more than two decades.

Among the protesters was a master's student at the Sorbonne University, Lisa, who decided to wear a full costume embodying the character "Luffy" in the anime series "One Piece."

Mathieu, a high school student in Paris, chose to dress up as the villain Darth Vader from the Star Wars series.

"We usually describe the riot police as stormtroopers, and they are Darth Vader's soldiers, so they are technically my nephews. Since they do not obey orders, I came to calm them down," Le Monde quoted Mathieu as saying.