France Counts Nearly 1,800 Arrests After Saturday's Protests; Macron to Address the Nation

<p>French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Sunday 18 October 2026 that nearly 1,800 people were arrested during Saturday's nationwide protests, almost half of them in Paris, and that more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured. Al Jazeera reports that 550,000 marched nationwide according to the authorities, while unions and organisers put the figure at 800,000.</p><p>The protests began in mid-September over school grievances such as overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages and widened into anger over living costs. Shop windows were smashed in Paris and buildings damaged; dozens of shops were looted in Marseille and the city hall in Limoges caught fire. France's police inspectorate (IGPN) had opened 36 investigations into alleged police violence by 13 October (21 Mehr).</p><p>President Emmanuel Macron will give a televised address to the nation at 18:00 GMT (21:30 Tehran time) on Sunday after meeting ministers, his office announced.</p>