Police fire tear gas as new French demonstrations kick off

French police started firing tear gas at protesters Saturday as they stepped up security in major cities, aiming to prevent a repeat of rioting a week ago, on a day of fresh nationwide demonstrations over the high cost of living. Police in the southeast city of Lyon fired tear gas to disperse some 150 protesters near the city centre — where demonstrations had been banned — when they briefly tried to block a road, an AFP journalist saw. Elsewhere, authorities and rattled shopkeepers geared up for potential new street violence. Near Paris’s Bastille neighbourhood, a clothing store had removed all its merchandise from shelves ahead of the demonstrations, while a nearby restaurant was boarded up with signs insisting it was “still open”. Many other retailers in the capital also had wooden boards covering their windows.

Police officers stand guard at the Place de la Bastille with The July Column in the background ahead of a demonstration in Paris, France on October 24, 2026. — AFP The Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay museums were closed. Police were seen readying riot gear in zones that bore the brunt of last weekend’s clashes and looting. They were among 70,000 security personnel the interior ministry said were mobilised to counter the “high” threat of violence. “We will not tolerate any unrest,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday, adding that calls had been circulating on social media calling for violence and looting. Protest against far-right party Adding to tensions, far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party was holding a weekend congress in the central city of Orleans to kick off her campaign for elections in six months to choose President Emmanuel Macron’s successor. Thousands of people yelling anti-fascist slogans marched on Saturday against…