Paris steps up security as police patrol streets

Since mid-September 2026, students in metropolitan France have been protesting against poor conditions in public high schools. The protests, initiated by students at a school in a Parisian suburb, spread nationwide to include both high schoolers and university students. On Halloween (October 31), 70,000 police officers were deployed across the country to maintain order as protesters gathered for their third consecutive weekend of demonstrations over rising living costs and education issues. In Paris alone, hundreds of thousands participated in the protests, leading to clashes with security forces that included petrol bomb attacks. Footage showing a police officer engulfed in flames sparked outrage, prompting prosecutors to launch an investigation into attempted murder.