Authorities Are Stepping Up Their Efforts

Europe’s cities are now bracing for a new wave of riots!

Riots in France: In Limoges, the 143-year-old city hall was destroyed last weekend (left). Now there are fears of a new wave of protests. Business owners have barricaded their storefronts.(Bild: Krone-Collage/AFP/PASCAL LACHENAUD, AFP/PHILIPPE LOPEZ)

In several European countries, waves of protests have recently escalated on the streets —and numerous demonstrations are once again planned for today in many cities. Authorities are on high alert; in France alone, 70,000 security forces are being mobilized nationwide. In Italy, paratroopers and tanks are on standby.

France’s political leadership is determined to prevent serious riots like those that occurred last weekend at all costs. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, there have been renewed calls from the far-left scene for looting and violence against police officers.

France Declares War on Rioters
“Look at social media: There are calls from the far left to target public buildings. We’re not talking about peaceful demonstrations here,” he emphasized on Friday. At the same time, he declared war on the rioters: “We are prepared to crack down with the utmost severity and will tolerate nothing.”

The French police are on high alert.(Bild: AP/Teresa Suarez)

According to Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, around 2,700 people have been arrested since last Saturday. “They are generally men between the ages of 18 and 25, most of whom are not known to law enforcement,” Darmanin said.

There are calls from the far left to target public buildings. We are not talking about peaceful demonstrations here.

Frankreichs Innenminister Laurent Nuñez

Bild: AFP/DIMITAR DILKOFF

Many museums remain closed
Government offices, stores, and cultural institutions nationwide are bracing for a turbulent weekend. In Paris, following the violent protests of the previous week, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée Picasso, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton, among others, announced they would not open on Saturday. The Art Basel Paris art fair will remain closed for the entire weekend.

The famous Louvre art museum will remain closed on Saturday.(Bild: AFP/DIMITAR DILKOFF)

Storeowners are installing particleboard in front of their storefronts
In addition, numerous store owners in Paris and many other cities across France have installed plywood in front of their storefronts. The Paris city government called on merchants, residents, restaurant owners, and businesses to remove, as much as possible, any movable objects from public spaces that could be used as projectiles, turned into barricades, or set on fire.

Photos: Many French stores are barricading their storefronts

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Macron Wants to Disperse Unauthorized Demonstrations
The largest student union, UNEF, called for nationwide rallies on Saturday. In addition, the “Yellow Vests” movement is planning a march through the center of the capital, Paris. President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that he would have unauthorized demonstrations dispersed. For authorized rallies, the authorities intend to change the routes. Macron explained that they would “suggest alternative routes to protect our city centers, and above all, our stores and our public buildings.”

Riots in France: In Limoges, the 143-year-old city hall was destroyed last weekend (left). Now there are fears of a new wave of protests. Business owners have barricaded their storefronts. © euro(Bild: Krone-Collage/AFP/PASCAL LACHENAUD, AFP/PHILIPPE LOPEZ)

Students Continue Protests
Macron planned to meet with student representatives on Friday. The UNEF stated that it wouldcontinuethe protests against teacher shortages and dilapidated schools. CFDT union Secretary-General Marylise Léon told TF1 that restricting the right to demonstrate is counterproductive. Authorities in Marseille and Lyon banned all rallies planned for Saturday. The protests are also directed against budget cuts. In addition, demonstrators are demanding higher wages in light of the rising cost of living. The government, however, points to the need to limit government spending in order to control borrowing costs.

Chronology of the Riots in France

• September 21: The crisis begins. Teenagers block a high school in the Paris metropolitan area. The reason is an acute staff shortage at the school, including the absence of a principal and a school nurse. The protest is peaceful but quickly inspires others to follow suit.
• Late September: Student protests spread across the country. More and more educational institutions are blockaded. The demonstrators denounce dilapidated school buildings, poor learning conditions, and the rampant shortage of teachers.
• Early October: The French government presents the national budget for 2027. It calls for drastic austerity measures and cuts totaling 54 billion euros. Since the already underfunded education system is also set to be affected by the cuts, the plans are met with massive outrage.
• Mid-October: The protests gain decisive momentum. The frustration of young people merges with the general social discontent over the drastically rising cost of living and high energy prices. The peaceful demonstrators are increasingly joined by violent far-left groups as well as disillusioned young people from socially marginalized suburbs (banlieues).
• October 15: In an effort to defuse the students’ anger, the government tries to back down. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announces the short-term hiring of 3,000 substitute teachers. However, the measure falls flat; the mobilization in the streets shows no signs of abating.
• Last weekend: The situation spirals completely out of control. Around half a million people take part in a nationwide day of protest. Massive violence breaks out on the fringes of the demonstrations. Rioters use platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to organize and livestream serious riots.
• The toll of the destruction: Nationwide , around 3,000 stores and shopping centers are attacked and looted. In Limoges, the historic city hall burns almost completely to the ground after an arson attack. Street battles erupt with security forces, leaving hundreds of police officers injured. Authorities arrest between 1,800 and 2,500 people over the course of the weekend.

Meanwhile, the city of Orléans, in the center of the country, is also bracing for unrest. A rally by the right-wing populist party Rassemblement National is planned there, and demonstrations against it have been announced.

“Red Alert” in Italy, Too
Major Italian cities such as Milan, Turin, and Bologna are also preparing, following last Saturday’s riots, for the possibility that the violent scenes could be repeated or even escalated this weekend.

A new “October 17 Movement,” named after last Saturday, is calling for demonstrations this Saturday afternoon on social media. In internal chat groups, participants are being urged to “march in parallel lines” and “shout our slogans and try to break through the barricades.”

In Milan in particular, there is great concern about new riots. As in France, store owners have boarded up their windows or decided to keep their shutters down over the weekend.

Paratroopers and tanks are on standby
In any case, the government in Rome is determined to do everything in its power to prevent scenes of chaos like those seen last weekend. In Milan, 500 soldiers from the elite “Folgore” paratrooper division will reinforce the police and, as Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini announced, intervene with Lince (Lynx) reconnaissance tanks and drones if necessary. 

Following last weekend’s riots, Milan and other Italian cities are bracing for new clashes.(Bild: AP/Luca Bruno)

In response to the riots, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government recently issued a new security decree. Under this decree, youths aged 14 and older are generally considered to possess the capacity for reason and to be criminally responsible. This means that in the future, they can be held criminally accountable more directly and straightforwardly for criminal offenses—without the need to prove this separately for each individual case.  

Video: Italy’s Prime Minister Responds to the Latest Riots

Belgium’s capital, Brussels, becomes a high-security zone
A state of emergency is also in effect in Belgium’s capital, Brussels, where numerous cars were set on fire last Saturday. Many business owners are gripped by fear of renewed riots. Here, too, some boutiques have barricaded their storefronts.

Post: Businesses in Brussels, too, fear clashes

“The police are now reaching out to store owners and trying to reassure them,” emphasizes Mayor Philippe Close. Because large numbers of e-scooters and battery-powered rental bikes were set on fire during the recent protests, all rental two-wheelers are to be banned from the so-called “Pentagon”—that is, Brussels’ historic city center. 

Concerns in Other Countries as Well
New outbreaks of violence could also occur this weekend in Albania, Spain, and Portugal. Authorities there are also on high alert. In Germany, far-left radicals are calling for violence in the streets on Halloween night (October 31).