More Than 550,000 March in France as Cost-of-Living Protests Spread to Belgium, Italy and Portugal

Al Jazeera reports that on Saturday, October 17, 2026, more than 550,000 people joined demonstrations in France, according to the French Interior Ministry. The marches, which followed weeks of student protests, degenerated into clashes, looting and fires. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 1,200 people were arrested and 150 police officers were hurt. Citing the French news agency AFP, Al Jazeera wrote that dozens of shops were looted in Paris, Marseille, Nice and several other cities, and that a fire largely destroyed the town hall in Limoges.

In Brussels police used tear gas and water cannon, in Milan there were clashes and looting, and in Lisbon tens of thousands marched against rising prices, low wages and the housing crisis. Al Jazeera quotes an EU law professor saying early signs of a similar wave are appearing in Greece, Germany and Austria. The unrest comes ahead of a broad cycle of national elections in Europe.