French President Emmanuel Macron called for “calm and order” after nationwide protests over living costs, education funding and public services turned into riots, looting and deadly violence. More than 550,000 people marched across France on Saturday; while most were peaceful, shops were vandalised, vehicles set alight and public buildings damaged in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Limoges, where a fire caused the spire of a 143-year-old town hall to collapse. Police reportedly arrested more than 2,000 people over the weekend, and the Interior Ministry cited around 2,400 arrests. The movement began in September with student and teacher strikes in Paris suburbs and spread nationwide, fuelled by overcrowded classrooms, inflation, unemployment and anger after footage of a police headlock on a girl. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was due to hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday, while similar discontent was reported in Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Albania.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on dailyexcelsior.com ↗
Keywords
protestscost of livingFranceEmmanuel Macron
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related tickers and likely impact
EUR/USD
▼ Likely negativeRelevance: low
| Market | Currencies |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/19/2026 | 1.12125 |
| Change that session | -0.24% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
- In pictures: More than 500,000 took to the streets as France protests erupted into violence
Protests in France over rising living costs and declining public services turned violent at the weekend, with more than 500,000 people on the streets. While hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, others set fire to the city hall in Limoges and Lyon's city tourist office, looted supermarkets, and attacked police, vehicles and luxury boutiques, in what was described as the country's worst unrest in years. Police used tear gas, and one protester died of a heart attack while another lost a hand. President Emmanuel Macron blamed the violence on insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by criminals, and said those who looted will have to pay for the damage. The demonstrations began last month when Paris high school students complained of poor school conditions, and then spread into a nationwide protest.
- Macron condemns unbridled violence ; announces policy reforms , vows action against rioters
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation after weekend riots and looting across mainland France and its overseas territories, announcing measures to ease the cost of living, engage youth and restore order. He linked rising fuel prices to the Persian Gulf conflict, said he would travel to the Gulf states to secure fuel and gas supplies, and noted that the government has coordinated with fuel distributors so these efforts are reflected in prices. A structured dialogue with students will begin this week, and a government platform has already gathered over 100,000 contributions; the Prime Minister will chair a crisis unit to deliver aid to affected businesses. Macron pledged uncompromising legal action against violent rioters, asked Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to examine intelligence failures, and stressed that peaceful protesters must not be confused with those who vandalized and looted.
- Like we had a war: France counts cost of violent protests
Nationwide protests over the cost of living, which the Interior Ministry put at 550,000 participants (the CGT union said 800,000), turned violent in Paris and other cities including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, with hundreds of shops looted. Paris police made a record 855 arrests on Saturday, and 557 people remained in custody, about a third of them minors. Around 1,500 businesses were damaged, with losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros, and around 500 police, firefighters and paramedics were hurt. US President Donald Trump blamed immigration and urged France to tighten its migration rules, while French political leaders traded blame over who was responsible. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was to chair a crisis meeting on insurance, aid for shops and the prosecution of those behind the violence.
- Update in the French Protests - Erkan Field Diary
An update to the author’s 8 October 2026 post on the French protests says that after 8 October, lycée student blockades declined but the movement broadened into a wider anti-government mobilisation over education, public services, inequality and the cost of living. School closures fell to 214 on 13 October from 224 on 8 October, while the Interior Ministry counted 161,500 participants nationwide that day and student organisations claimed 480,000. On 17 October, a joint action with unions, Yellow Vests and others drew about 550,000 people according to the Interior Ministry and about 800,000 according to the CGT, though violent groups clashed with police and looted shops, and the arrest count rose to at least 1,800 by 18 October. The government’s deployment of 3,000 substitute teachers was seen by student groups as inadequate against their demand for a €10 billion education plan.
- France riots live updates : Apocalyptic scenes as violent protesters take to the streets for ANOTHER day - following night of looting
Violent protests spread across France for another day, with more than half a million people in the streets and several cities looted and set on fire. The demonstrations, which began over the cost of living, education standards and President Emmanuel Macron's government, were mostly peaceful, but more than 1,200 people were arrested. According to a retail and trade federation cited in the report, around 1,500 businesses were damaged, with losses estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. In an emergency address, Macron condemned all violence, promised a firm line against rioters and asked prosecutors to act as firmly as possible, while also pointing to a Ministry of Education platform that had received 100,000 contributions from students and teachers.
- Why is France burning ? From student anger to nationwide unrest , is Yellow Vest movement back amid looting and clashes ?
Protests in France, led by students, teachers, trade unions and figures linked to the Yellow Vest movement over rising living costs and declining public services, turned violent in several cities. Violent groups looted shops, set fires and attacked public buildings; the city hall in Limoges was reportedly set on fire deliberately, and Lyon's tourist office was also set alight. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused far-left groups and criminals of exploiting the unrest ahead of next year's presidential election, while President Emmanuel Macron vowed to prosecute those responsible. Police reportedly arrested at least 1,800 people nationwide. US President Donald Trump blamed immigration for the violence, an interpretation the article presents as his own, while smaller protests were also reported in Belgium, Portugal and Italy.
Related markets
Latest news
- Winning over Vingroup and Sun Group with concrete and special materials: Vietnamese company's profit up 136%, chairman speaks out
Song Da Cao Cuong (SCL) reported Q3/2026 profit of VND 38 billion, up 136%, on net revenue of over VND 263 billion (up nearly 98%), while gross profit margin rose from about 36% to 41%. For the first nine months, revenue reached nearly VND 666 billion (up 81%) and after-tax profit nearly VND 94 billion, already exceeding more than 110% of its full-year profit target. Chairman Kieu Van Mat attributed the results to technology upgrades, production line optimization and capacity expansion, with several new plants expected to start operations by November 2026. The company said it spent more than two years testing its products before Vingroup accepted them; Vingroup's share of its business has fallen to about 25% as customers expanded to around 10 major groups and exports began to Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. Over the past two years, the company has invested about VND 1,000 billion in factories and technology.
- Coteccons Chairman Bolat Duisenov reveals new direction: expanding home construction for individual customers
At the annual general meeting on October 20, Coteccons (HoSE: CTD) set fiscal 2027 targets of VND 42,000 billion in revenue and VND 1,050 billion in after-tax profit, and said it is considering expanding into residential construction for individual customers (B2C). In fiscal 2026, net revenue reached VND 34,340 billion (up 38%, 115% of plan) and after-tax profit VND 788 billion (up 73%); new contract wins totaled VND 60,307 billion and backlog was about VND 70,000 billion. In the first quarter of the new fiscal year, the company booked revenue of VND 11,270 billion and profit of VND 306 billion, but new contract value of VND 14,519 billion was lower than a year earlier; the company said it is tightening criteria for selecting clients and projects. Coteccons is also working with Microsoft, is expected to become a strategic partner of Workday, and targets raising its ROE from 10% to 15-18% by 2030.
- UPS Yields 6.7% After Firing Amazon. Here's Whether the Dividend Survives 2027.
UPS shares yield 6.7% as of October 16. The company has moved away from high-volume, low-margin Amazon deliveries and froze its dividend earlier this year, ending a 16-year streak of increases. The article says the payout will likely remain frozen through 2026 and 2027, citing competition from 10- and 30-year Treasury yields above 5% and other industrial dividend payers, but calls the dividend's safety questionable: UPS generated $5.47 billion in free cash flow in 2025, with $5.4 billion going to dividends, and free cash flow is projected to fall to $5.05 billion in 2026 and $5.01 billion in 2027, with the dividend absorbing about 98% of 2026 free cash flow. Rising competition and high fuel prices add pressure, and the article suggests investors may find more safety in the industrial sector.
- Asian shares mostly decline after AI stocks lead a rebound on Wall Street
Asian shares mostly fell in cautious trading on Tuesday after AI-related stocks rebounded on Wall Street, while other sectors stayed shaky and oil prices stayed high. Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.6% to 64,512.35 in early trading, South Korea's Kospi dropped 2.8%, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.8%. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq gained 1.1%, helped by Nvidia's 1.4% gain, while most stocks outside AI and tech fell and the Dow slipped 0.1%. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.14%, and U.S. crude rose to $103.50 a barrel and Brent to $109.47, as uncertainty about when the energy industry will return to normal after the war with Iran means oil is unlikely to ease soon.
- Asian shares mostly decline after AI stocks lead a rebound on Wall Street
Asian shares mostly fell in cautious trading Tuesday after AI-related stocks rebounded on Wall Street, while other sectors stayed shaky and oil prices remained high. Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.6% to 64,512.35, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.8% to 8,772.10, and South Korea's Kospi dropped 2.8% to 5,605.31. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq rallied 1.1%, helped by Nvidia, while the Dow fell 0.1%. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.14%, and U.S. crude rose 0.15% to $103.50 a barrel as uncertainty over the war with Iran kept oil prices elevated.
- What Could X-Energy (XE) Gain From Its 960MW Indiana Nuclear Project?
X-Energy (NasdaqGS:XE), American Electric Power and Amazon agreed to assess a 960 MW advanced nuclear project in Indiana using Xe-100 reactors, on a former coal plant site. Under the joint development agreement, Amazon would provide development funding and commit to a long-term power purchase. The article says the deal offers commercial validation for X-Energy's reactor platform rather than immediate financial relief, as the company, with a $4.3b market cap, reported $150.28 million in revenue, a $448.87 million loss, and a 20.2x price-to-sales ratio. The next key milestone is whether the study reaches a final investment decision for the Sullivan County site.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.