Why were there violent protests in France for a third weekend in November 2026?

BBC correspondent James Waterhouse reported that demonstrations which began as student protests over colleges have grown into a broad youth movement over inflation, flat wages and political alienation. On the third weekend, police used tear gas and water cannon against rioters throwing paving stones and petrol bombs, the Interior Ministry reported more than 500 arrests, and a curfew covered parts of Paris. Small government concessions on schools came, protesters said, too late.

• Protesters in Paris were kept to an area away from the city centre.
• A presidential election is due about six months later, and rivals are trying to capitalise.
• Some demonstrators wore Halloween costumes.

▸In their words

“Inflation is going up, salaries are not going up, the world is burning, basically.” A protester in Paris · at 3:51 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-11-01). Read the whole episode summary →

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