France's interior ministry said on Sunday that 779 people were detained across the country during the previous day's demonstrations, the third consecutive weekend of large-scale mobilisations over the cost of living, according to DW.com. The final tally combines arrests made during the nationwide marches with those recorded on Halloween night, which passed without major disturbances despite calls circulating for violence. DW.com also reported that comparable protests in Germany led to unrest.
The arrest figure is well below the totals recorded at earlier stages of the movement. Authorities counted 1,314 detentions during the previous Saturday's actions and 2,628 on 17 October, a day marked by serious rioting and looting in various parts of France, DW.com reported.
Turnout also fell. The interior ministry put participation at 320,000 people, compared with 550,000 a week earlier, according to DW.com. Spanish broadcaster RTVE.es likewise reported that mobilisation declined on this third Saturday, which ended with incidents in Paris and other cities, while El País put the national turnout at more than 300,000.
Why it matters
The declining numbers cut two ways. Fewer people on the street and fewer arrests suggest the movement may be losing momentum after a violent peak in mid-October. But the nature of Saturday's incidents in the capital shows that a smaller, more determined contingent remains willing to confront police directly — and that the political pressure on President Emmanuel Macron is far from resolved. La Vanguardia framed the situation as the street holding Macron hostage, a sign that the dispute over living costs continues to shape the national agenda regardless of falling crowd sizes.
Firebomb attack treated as attempted murder
Paris prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at security forces during Saturday's march in the capital, DW.com reported. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the attack as an attempted assassination, and one officer was injured.
Footage from AFP, including photographs and video, showed a homemade device exploding at the feet of a member of the security forces in a district of eastern Paris and causing light injuries, according to DW.com. Prosecutors said explosive objects were thrown at around fifteen gendarmes as well as at police officers.
The gendarme who was hit recounted on television news channels the burning sensation he felt and the shower of various projectiles thrown at his unit by a group he described as determined, DW.com reported. The judicial authority said the injuries appeared to be second-degree burns and tinnitus, though the assessment was still being finalised.
The incident took place at the Porte de Charenton, the end point of the authorised demonstration in the French capital. Prosecutors told EFE, as cited by DW.com, that no suspect had been detained over the attack so far and that investigations were continuing to identify those responsible.
Paris recorded 105 detentions in total on Saturday, of which 88 were linked to the demonstrations and 17 to Halloween, DW.com reported. El Mundo also covered the firebomb case, reporting that France is investigating the incident as an attempted homicide.
A movement centred on the cost of living
The protests, now in their third weekend, have been driven by household concerns over the price of everyday life. El País reported that more than 300,000 people took to the streets across France on Saturday for the third consecutive weekend of action on living costs. The interior ministry's own count of 320,000, cited by DW.com, is the figure the government is treating as definitive.
The trajectory of the movement has been uneven. The 17 October actions produced the heaviest arrest numbers and were accompanied by looting and disorder in multiple locations, a level of disruption that has not been repeated since. Last weekend's figure of 1,314 detentions came with a participation count of 550,000, meaning Saturday's turnout fell by roughly 230,000 people while arrests dropped by more than 500.
DW.com noted that similar demonstrations in Germany also ended in disturbances, indicating that discontent over living costs is not confined to France.
What to watch
The attempted murder investigation at Porte de Charenton is now the most closely watched thread: prosecutors have yet to identify a suspect, and the injured gendarme's condition has not been definitively established. Whether the smaller but more confrontational fringe of the movement persists — and whether turnout continues to fall — will determine how much pressure the streets can still apply to Macron's government in the weeks ahead.
