France in shock after a day of demonstrations marked by looting, town hall fires and numerous injuries.
AI-generated summary
The October 17 demonstrations against the high cost of living degenerated into widespread urban violence. The government is facing growing pressure from local elected officials and unions.
J.-L.D., L.A., V.B., X.M.
Published on 10/18/2026 at 7:49 a.m. • Updated on 10/18/2026 at 5:33 p.m.
Fabien Roussel, Communist Party candidate for the Elysée, called on the executive to “quickly convene a social conference with trade union and employer organizations, including youth organizations.”
According to the Lyon prosecutor's office, seven people held in a detention center were poisoned on Saturday, as well as three police officers.
Jordan Bardella is “a scavenger” according to Pouria Amirshahi, environmentalist and social deputy for the 3rd and 10th arrondissements of Paris. “At no time did he come to take care of the neighborhood’s merchants.”
“France was humiliated yesterday,” said Jordan Bardella, visiting a Parisian police station to provide “support” to the police, denouncing a “clearly undersized” system. “The top political priority must be to restore order. Order no longer exists in France today. »
At the height of the Limoges town hall fire, nearly 80 firefighters were mobilized, specifies Maurice Barate, prefect of Haute-Vienne. “In the city hall, individuals threatened to kill two city agents. Despite this, they set the building on fire. » Five police vehicles were also destroyed.
Éric Ciotti called for the “National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office” to be responsible for investigating those responsible for the damage, and for the “dissolution of the antifa and ultra-left movements”.
An inter-professional inter-union CFDT-CGT-FO-Unsa-FSU is calling for a day of strike and demonstration on November 5 for “wages, public services, employment and industry”.
The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, will travel to Marseille on Monday, where on Saturday “absurdations were committed by several thousand ultra-left individuals”, joined by delinquents who looted numerous businesses.
The Association of Mayors of France (AMF) is calling for rallies on Monday “from noon” in front of town halls. “These serious attacks against democratic institutions constitute a real risk for the entire Nation.”
Alexandre Bompard, president of the Federation of Commerce and Distribution (FCD), estimated on Sunday at 1,500 the number of businesses directly affected in France by the violence, for a bill of hundreds of millions of euros.
Emmanuel Macron will solemnly address the French at 8:00 p.m. this Sunday. Before that, the Head of State will bring together the Prime Minister and the ministers concerned at 5:30 p.m. at the Elysée Palace.
The Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, will chair an interministerial crisis unit on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. covering the “economy-commerce”, “insurance” and “judicial monitoring” aspects.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Solemn speech by Emmanuel Macron this Sunday at 8:00 p.m.
Very likely · Within hours
Strike day and national demonstration on November 5.
Very likely · Within weeks

France Télévisions informs that the email address collected for the newsletter "L'actu à 7h30" is used with tracking pixels and tracking links to personalize content, measure engagement and manage automatic unsubscriptions in the event of inactivity, with the possibility of withdrawing consent at any time.

During the October 17 movement in Marseille, the police faced 30,000 looters including 8,000 rioters, according to the Bouches-du-Rhône police headquarters. More than 500 businesses were looted, 4,000 tear gas canisters were used and 118 police officers were injured, including three hospitalized. The Minister of the Interior must go to Marseille tomorrow.

A teenager has been indicted for complicity in the Aubagne shooting where a 14-year-old shooter opened fire on his principal and his teacher. The suspect is said to have maintained links with the shooter, who admits the facts but denies the intention to kill, citing uncorroborated harassment. Furthermore, the mayor of Marseille announced police reinforcements after an exchange with Macron, while demonstrators entered the town hall and attacked a police station on the Canebière.

France Télévisions informs that the e-mail address of subscribers to its newsletter 'L'actu à 7h30' is used for personalized sending of content, with tracking pixels and tracking links making it possible to measure the opening of e-mails, clicks and certain terminal data, while recalling the possibility of withdrawing consent at any time.
Five accused appear before the Bouches-du-Rhône Assize Court for the triple assassination of Nassim Loubani, Réda Khaldi and Brahim Chabane, which occurred in December 2020 in Marseille in the context of the war between drug trafficking networks.

The October 17 mobilization against the high cost of living was marked by urban violence and looting across France. More than 600 members of the police and firefighters were injured during clashes with thugs.