French authorities have jailed 217 people out of about 2,700 who were taken into police custody following violence and looting during the weekend around the October 17 demonstrations, according to Le Monde.fr, citing Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. The figures were given as the outlet ran live coverage of the protests on Friday, October 23, 2026.
The custody total covers people detained in connection with the unrest, while the 217 figure refers to those who have since been incarcerated, Le Monde.fr reports. The outlet did not give a breakdown of the charges in the headline summary.
The same reporting points to a wider crackdown on public gatherings. Le Monde.fr also published a piece describing protest bans being issued across France, warning that the measures risk straining the rule of law.
Alongside that, franceinfo ran a guide to the rights and duties of demonstrators, covering topics such as declaring a demonstration, wearing protective equipment and filming law enforcement officers. Sud Ouest, meanwhile, reported that President Emmanuel Macron had stepped to the front line of the response, with a new defence council meeting and minister Lecornu travelling to Limoges. Mediapart published a sharply critical piece accusing Macron of undermining civil liberties.
What to watch next: whether the government releases a fuller account of the charges behind the 217 incarcerations, and how the courts handle challenges to the protest bans imposed across the country.
