Macron to Address Nation After Violent Protests Sweep France

French President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to give a televised address at 1800 GMT on Sunday, October 18, 2026, after protests across France turned violent.

The address was expected to respond to what Reuters described as one of France's most violent days of unrest in years. Demonstrations on Saturday, October 17, against rising living costs led to rioting in cities across the country.

Rioters set fire to cars and buildings during the protests, according to The Independent. The number of arrests had risen to 1,800 as of October 18.

Disagreement remained over the scale of the mobilization. The Interior Ministry said about 550,000 people demonstrated nationwide on Saturday, as cited by Al Jazeera. Organizers put the figure at around 800,000, according to Le Monde.

The October protests combined two grievances: anger over conditions in schools and frustration over high living costs. They began the prior month over school conditions and teacher shortages in working-class suburbs before broadening into a wider movement.

Students, trade unionists and remnants of the Yellow Vest protest movement had been expected to take part in the Saturday demonstrations. French ministers blamed ultra-left groups for the violence ahead of an election, The Hindu reported.

Earlier in October, the student-led actions had already drawn large numbers. The high-school demonstrations on October 13 gathered between 161,500 and 480,000 people across France. On October 2, officials said 735 schools were affected by blockades, with 1,747 arrests on that Friday after 1,954 arrests the day before.