France deploys 70,000 police as youth-led protests enter 3rd week, spread across Europe

• France deploys 70,000 police and gendarmes as protests enter their third weekend.

• Demonstrations follow anger over education conditions and rising living costs.

• Youth-led protest calls spread to Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and other European countries.

France deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes on Saturday as it prepared for a third consecutive weekend of protests over living costs and education, amid a wave of youth-led demonstrations spreading across Europe.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a “very high risk” of disorder, particularly after dark on Halloween. Authorities restricted demonstrations in central Paris and redirected the main march to the capital’s outer boulevards.

Police ordered protesters to follow a single route between Porte de Bagnolet and Porte de Charenton. Unions and student organisations challenged the restrictions in court but failed to overturn them.

President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that demonstrations would be kept away from city centres to protect businesses. Police also prohibited entry to Place de la République and Les Halles, which were hit by rioting and looting on 17 October, between 11 pm and 6 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Unaccompanied minors face a separate 9 pm curfew around the Champs-Elysees. A Paris court had suspended an earlier curfew on minors on Wednesday, ruling that it seriously and unlawfully infringed on freedom of movement.

The protest movement began with high school students demonstrating over school conditions before expanding into broader anger over the cost of living.

Authorities estimated that around 550,000 people protested nationwide on 17 October, when rioters looted hundreds of shops. Another 410,000 participated in demonstrations last Saturday, which were largely peaceful but resulted in more than 1,300 arrests.

In Germany, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt”, roughly translating to “Gen Z's got this”, called for demonstrations in around 30 cities. The campaign seeks better education, healthcare, climate protection and affordable living, while opposing the possible return of military conscription. Organisers said more than 140,000 people had registered online.

Berlin police expected around 10,000 demonstrators at the Brandenburg Gate. Some shops along the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard boarded up their windows, although authorities said they had no specific information about threats of violence.

In Barcelona, Catalan police prepared their highest-level alert after an anonymous TikTok network called Blocus urged fresh demonstrations. Rioting the previous Saturday had resulted in around 130 arrests, mostly involving minors.

Police in Italy were also on alert following clashes in Milan, Turin and Bologna. Calls for protests circulated on TikTok in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal.