Politics
France braces for new protests as UN experts condemn police crackdowns
October 29, 2026 at 08:00 AM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 4 hours
France is preparing for new Yellow Vest protests and a union strike next week while UN experts condemn police force used in recent demonstrations.
- The Yellow Vest movement has called for pot-banging gatherings on October 30 outside the National Assembly and protests across France on October 31.
- Five major unions have called for a nationwide strike on November 5 demanding higher wages, pensions, and public-service funding.
- Four UN Human Rights Council experts condemned the "excessive use of force" in dispersing student protests, citing arrests of several thousand people, mainly minors.
- France's Interior Ministry said the October 24 protests drew 410,000 people nationwide, with 70,000 security forces deployed and 1,000 arrested.