More than 500,000 people participated today in the protests in France, according to the balance sheet of the General Confederation of Workers (CGT), with a protester staying with an amputated hand following a grenade launched by the police in Saint-Étienne, according to AFP.
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17/10/2026
by
Lusa
A CGT, one of France’s leading trade union centers, welcomed “another great day of mobilization, the largest since the beginning of the school year”, with “1.750 demonstrations or protests across France” and “more than 500,000 protesters” by 17:00 (1600 in Lisbon).
After the clashes between demonstrators and the police, the trade union central argued that the French government “should stop repression and respond immediately to social demands”.
According to AFP, citing a source close to the case, a protester today took an amputated hand in Saint-Étienne, in the centre of France, following the launch of a grenade by police forces.
This is the second case of this kind after in early October a 15-year-old teenager lost his hand due to a stun grenade fired by police in Lens.
Protesters set fires and damaged buildings in several French cities during today's protests against rising cost of living and conditions in schools.
In Paris, there were clashes between the police and groups of protesters who joined a march in the framework of the national protest day against rising cost of living and in support of the demands of secondary school students.
Police resorted to tear gas to disperse hundreds of hooded and masked protesters throwing petards and other objects against security forces in Republic Square, while shouting “Macron, resignation”. A strong contingent of the intervention corps was deployed to the site.
Throughout France, thousands of people responded to calls on social networks to reactivate the “yellow vests” movement, which emerged in 2018 against social injustice.
Groups of students, in protest since mid-September through school blocks, called on their supporters to join the actions.
According to the Interior Minister's office, Laurent Nuñez, authorities registered 140 protest actions outside the Paris region until noon, involving more than 30,000 people.
The authorities accounted for at least 166 detainees throughout the country.
The Interior Minister's office noted acts of violence committed by hooded individuals in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers, including attempts to pillage, assault on police officers, urban furniture fires and attacks on government facilities and media.
In the port city of Marseille, in the south of the country, some commercial establishments and a police station suffered damage, and protesters invaded for a moment the lobby of the City Hall.
On Friday, President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged “the constitutional right to protest and to express”, but made an appeal to calm.
“ This right requires respect. Respect for people, respect for the heritage and therefore the commitment not to insult or destroy ", said.
The police forbade other concentrations planned for the center of Paris and determined the closure of metro stations today, including those located around the Champs Elysées and nearby the Elisha Palace, parliament and government buildings.
In recent weeks, France has recorded thousands of arrests, hundreds of wounded and burned schools, at a start of a school year marked by national student protests that are conditioning the campaign for the in-person elections and attracting international attention.